A woman from Westbury has completed a 70-mile ultramarathon along Hadrian’s Wall ahead of her 70th birthday.
Jan Mojsa completed The Wall, a 113km endurance race which follows the historic route of Hadrian’s Wall and features over 1,000 metres of total ascent. She finished the challenge in 21 hours and 58 minutes, over four hours before the cut-off time.
“I was looking for a special challenge this year and the 70 at 70 idea seemed too good an opportunity to miss,” said Jan, who turns 70 in September.
“Really early on in the run, I buddied up with another runner. She was doing it because she was 60 and I was doing it as my 70 for 70! That made such a difference in terms of getting through that particular dip that I think a lot of runners are familiar with.”
Jan said she couldn’t properly plan for the race as the extreme distance took her into “unknown territory”.
“When I got to the last checkpoint, several people were dropping out, or they just couldn’t go on anymore,” said Jan. “There is a little psychological bit, where you just have to keep going, and just kind of learn that pain is temporary, so you just don’t focus on it.”
The final stretch brought a lift after hours of steady effort across remote terrain.
“When you can see the finish, it changes everything,” she said. “We ran it in and it was just a joy.”
Jan is a member of the Westbury Running Group and was supported by fellow member Vickie Jamieson throughout the challenge. She is also a member of Trowbridge Aikido Club, which meets in Westbury and Chapmanslade.
“I suppose part of this is a celebration of how we can all do it, irrespective of age. I really want to give a big shout out to Westbury Running Group and also the Aikido group, which is all about inclusivity and supporting people. It’s a celebration of our community, really.
“I had brilliant support from Vickie, my running club chum, and the rest of the club. I could hear my phone pinging, and it was people saying ‘Go! You’re doing great.’ It really helps having that support.”
