The best by a country mile (well, 874 to be accurate!)
John o’Groats record for runner
‘Most painful thing I’ve done’
WITH only 50 miles to John o’Groats, in a record-chasing long-distance run from Land’s End, disaster struck.
Ultra athlete Carla Molinaro developed an infection that meant she could run no further.
But with more than 800 miles behind her, she forced herself to walk to the finish in a ‘horrendous’ final day.
Her efforts were rewarded with a women’s record, taking 12 days, 30 minutes and 14 seconds to cover 874 miles.
She beat the previous female record set last year by more than ten hours.
Miss Molinaro, 36, said: ‘I am over the moon. It was the hardest and most painful thing I have ever done. I am so happy to be finished.’
The Team GB ultra runner from Buckinghamshire set off from Cornwall on July 16. She ran an average of 73 miles each day and for between 16 to 17 hours. She slept four hours a night and pushed on through her last night to finish at 5.30am yesterday.
She said: ‘For the past week I have had very painful legs. I have never felt pain like it. I had thought it was a tendon issue in my shin but it was then diagnosed as cellulitis, which is an infection.
‘I am being treated for it by the doctor in my support crew but it has meant I can’t lift one of my knees.’
She described the final day as ‘horrendous’.
Miss Molinaro, who lived in Glasgow between 2012 and 2014, said: ‘The weather started dry and sunny but it deteriorated to a strong sidewind and driving rain.
‘Because of the infection, I couldn’t run. It was so frustrating. I had to walk the last 50 miles to John o’Groats.
‘I walked through the cold and the dark, trying not to fall asleep on my feet. I wanted to get to the end so much.’
It was during lockdown that Miss Molinaro, who grew up in South Africa, decided to take on the challenge.
She said: ‘I had plans for races but they were all cancelled. I had hoped to do the Land’s End to John o’Groats in 2021, so I just decided to go for it this year instead.’
It was a far tougher undertaking than she had envisaged, but Scotland’s scenery provided some highlights.
Miss Molinaro said: ‘The views over Edinburgh, to Arthur’s Seat and the three bridges over the Forth, were fantastic.’