Ryston athlete conquers gruelling challenge on Pennine Way

You know when you’re chatting with a colleague during a night shift and he mentions that he’s going to be running a half marathon at the weekend, and you think that sounds like a good idea, although you’ve never done any running, so three weeks later you are running a half marathon yourself?No; and that’s not a very familiar scenario for many people either, but Ben Elmer, the Ryston Runner who has recently completed the Montane Spine Challenge North, this was how it all started, in September 2022.In November 2023, he saw an advertisement for the Positive Steps Grand Slam (a series of 100k, 50 mile, 50K, 2 x marathon, and 18-mile events) and liked the sound of it – but had just three weeks in which to complete the qualifying marathon distance with December on the horizon.2024 saw him not only complete the Grand Slam, but also the Sandringham 24-hour race, and the Yorkshire 3 Peaks (twice). During the Grand Slam, Elmer was talking with his now clubmates, Graeme Leeson and Justin Walker, who told him about the Round Norfolk Relay.He said he would be interested in running a stage, but was told he had to be a club member to take part, and thus signed up to be a Ryston Runner.In the process of covering more than 2000 miles running during 2024, Elmer became interested in longer trail runs, watching them on YouTube.He entered the Montane event that he conquered in January, covering 160 miles along the Pennine Way in just over 76 hours, finishing 26th out of 130/21st male/15th in the category. Describing the last 40 miles, during which he ploughed through the field, having improved from 40th position, Elmer said: “On my own, in the dead of night, chasing downlights in front of me, I remember thinking, ‘I feel like a proper Ultra runner like those I saw on TV’.”The feeling of elation has resulted in Elmer already targeting his next big challenge: The Dragon’s Back 236-mile mountain race from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle this coming September, while he also has his sights set on completing a Bob Graham Round in the Lake District.None of this would be possible, he admits, without the unwavering support of his wife, Katie. Indeed, such is her commitment (or resignation) to his ambitions that she waved him off to the start of the Montane event on her 40th birthday.Elmer also credits being inspired to take on these challenges by his daughter’s persistence and dedication to mastering new moves in gymnastics, never giving up and achieving her goals.He describes facing the unfamiliar, breaking challenges down into smaller chunks, and not being content with being comfortable as key elements in his approach to this new passion and lifestyle which, among other benefits, has seen him drop from 16 stone to become a strong, healthy athlete. Another of Elmer’s goals now is to inspire others to challenge themselves, not necessarily to take on Ultra running but at least to believe that anything is possible and find enjoyment in being physically active.With this in mind, his Facebook page was set up specifically to encourage others.The scaffolder from North Pickenham said: “I am not worried about being the fastest, nor the one who runs furthest, nor in having a million ‘Likes’ on Facebook; but if, one day, someone said they started running because of me, I would be happy.”