Banbury ultrarunner overcomes trench foot, hallucinations, and falling in a bush in epic fundraiser challenge

Banbury man Steve Snow wanted to push his body and mind to its limits when he took on the 250-mile Thames Ring long-distance running race in April.

Having completed a number of marathons and ultramarathons, Steve decided that for this especially gruelling challenge of completing one of Europe’s longest non-stop races in less than the 100-hour cutoff time, he would fundraise for a charity that had helped a friend.

Steve’s fantastic efforts as one of the 19 runners from 46 to complete the race, which starts in Oxfordshire and passes through west London and several counties in a loop of almost entirely canal and riverside paths, raised an incredible £2,400 for the Banbury Young Homeless Project.

The money raised by Steve will go towards the charity's school visits, which guide children on maintaining good mental health and where to seek help.

Setting off on the sunny morning of April 26, the first day, wasn’t a problem for the Banbury man, who is an experienced runner with thousands of miles under his belt.

It wasn’t until the first night, when it began raining, that Steve’s grit and determination were really tested. He said: "It started to rain, and we all got absolutely drenched, and it became a battle trying to keep our feet in any sort of condition.

"It was horrendous. I never normally suffer from blisters, but when I took my socks off at a checkpoint, it looked like I had been in the bath for about six months. It was like trench foot—absolutely horrendous.

"Everyone was taping their feet up and trying to make the best of it. It became a battle to keep running with ruined feet; along the tow paths, every little twist and turn underfoot ripped on the blisters; it was not nice!"

Steve’s legs held up right up to the finish, and he felt as though without the rain he could have achieved a much faster time than his already very respectable 97 hours and 14 minutes.

He said: "I had three hours of sleep in total over the four days. One of the best sleeps was in the doorway of a village shop. I set my alarm for 15 minutes and was fast asleep within seconds of sitting down.

"I was falling asleep on my feet, and you have to be careful because you could quite easily end up in the canal. I did go head-first straight into a hedge once, but I was just grateful I hadn’t gone in the water.

The physical challenges were not the only obstacles pushing Steve towards his limit; during one of the checkpoint stops, his vision took a funny turn.

"I was coming up to one of the checkpoints where one of my daughters and her boyfriend and a few friends were waiting, and I thought the landscape was covered in snow.

"I just thought there was snow everywhere; it was mad! Whether it was the frost and the wetness from the dew playing tricks with my brain, I don’t know, but it was crazy."The hardships experienced throughout the race couldn’t discourage Steve, and although he didn’t quite push his body to its limit, he says the race was one of his greatest achievements.

He said: "It was such an amazing run; I met some good people along the way and made new friends. It was an amazing journey, and there were so many donations it was sensational.

"I was bombarded with text messages when I was running, and the charity were really made up with my cheque, the whole thing has been really good."