The finish of the Kennet and Avon Canal Race (KACR) was once again hosted by the John Sebastian this year. The 145 mile race follows easy to navigate canal, river and railway paths from Little Venice in London to Bristol’s Bathurst Basin.
The winner this year was Ian Hammett (pictured above with his support team) who finished in a time of 26 hours 30 minutes, faster than his time of 27 hours 48 minutes for last month’s Grand Union Canal Race between Birmingham and London.
Ian’s passion for ultra-marathon running had a slow start, as he explains on the British Spartathlon Team website:
I hated running for any reason other than chasing a football, however in the summer of 2012 I actually decided I would do some proper pre season training to get fit for the footy season. I started running 5k on a treadmill, and after a few weeks I decided to take the major step of running on the streets, sticking to a little 5k loop from my house. The strangest thing happened, I started to enjoy it.
The winner’s medal displays the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the John Sebastian Lightship.
38 runners completed the race and there were 32 retirements. The first female home was Julie Bethune in a time of 36 hours 10 minutes. In the 2021 KACR 72 year-old Sandra Brown completed her 208th race of 100 miles or over – a world record set in Bathurst Basin.