Lorna’s Pegasus Slam

6 ultra marathons in 6 months – She Runs Cardiff’s Lorna Wilson reflects on completing the Pegasus Slam

You’ve probably noticed that She Runs Cardiff are huge fans of Pegasus Ultra Running. 

Many of our members have taken part in and volunteered at their events over the last few years. Their inclusive approach, with no cut off times and hugely supportive volunteers along the route, make them a great introduction to ultra running.

The Pegasus series of events includes six ultra marathons taking place annually from April to September: The CANUM (the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Ultra Marathon, 40 miles); the HOWUM (Heartlands of Wales Ultra Marathon, 30 miles); the VOGUM (Vale of Glamorgan Ultra Marathon, 40 miles); the PIGUM (The Gateway to Wales / Y Porth I Gymru Ultra marathon, 30 miles); the EDDUM (The Epynt Way Ultra Marathon, 50 miles); and the RIDUM (The Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Ultra Marathon, 30 miles).

Completing all six ultra events in one calendar year gives you the accolade of the Pegasus Slam – six events, 220 miles of running and 23,515ft ft of elevation. 

We’re delighted to congratulate Lorna Wilson of She Runs Cardiff on completing the Pegasus Slam for 2023, one of just 23 athletes to do so this year. Here, she reflects on her experiences. 

What made you sign up for the Pegasus Slam? What was your ultra running experience previously?

I wanted to challenge myself and see what I could achieve. I had run one previous ultra, the VOGUM, the year before, which gave me the bug. The Pegasus community has such a nice, family feel, and we were so well supported, that it was a good fit. Also, the She Runs group had always recommended Pegasus, because of the routes and the support, so it was a good fit from that perspective too. 

How did you approach the training? Did you include any cross training, eg yoga, weights etc alongside the running? 

I knew from experience that I needed to cross train or I would injure myself. My training changed a lot during the nine months. At the beginning of the year I couldn’t run at all because of shin pain, so my training was all swimming, bike and weights. The mindset that I was building fitness and that the time on feet would come later was essential, but I still found it hard at times not getting out as much as I wanted. It paid off in the end though, as I built strength and fitness which gave me a head start when I did get back out and the strength work definitely gave me better resilience and helped me stay injury free when I started racking up the miles. 

Once I was back out on the trails, a usual week was four runs of varying lengths. One was always a long run, and because we now live near Oxford, always involved driving off to find some hills!

I never achieved the volume I set myself, as I was careful to listen to my body when I needed rest. Life also got in the way quite a bit as my husband travels for work for two days most weeks and we have three kids with a variety of clubs and after school activities, not to mention the weekend social calendar. All of that meant that I would often not get to the mileage or time on feet I wanted between races, but I learned that the rest and recovery was as important or more so than the mileage. 

In addition to running, I would swim once a week and do one to two weights sessions, as well as getting a good session on the stepper, to help with the hills. It sounds like a lot, but a typical week would be, Monday swim, stepper and weights after dropping the kids at school; Tuesday double run day, one short early morning sprint session, and one tempo in the evening while my daughter was at her club. Wednesday was usually a rest day; Thursday a home weight-session; Friday was my long run day, and then one run at the weekend. I work Tuesday to Thursday, so I had a bit on time on Monday and Friday for longer workouts. In practice I could have done those at the weekends if I needed to, or split things up differently through the week. 

What were your favourites and most challenging of the six and why?

My favourite was the VOGUM because I love the scenery and the course is undulating and interesting. The most challenging mentally was the CANUM because I felt I hadn’t trained enough so my mindset was a bit off, and the scenery was a tad repetitive and the course a tad flat for me (I have come to love the hills). Physically, the PIGUM was my most challenging. The Sugar Loaf nearly beat me!

Any memorable high points or low points? 

My highest high point was finishing the EDDUM, which was my longest ever run, which felt amazing. Seeing my family at the checkpoints was always a high point. And getting to the top of the Sugar Loaf!

Low points, there was never a run that I wasn’t going to finish, but on every single run there was a low point about two thirds of the way through, and I always called my husband or had a snack, or both and that sorted me out.

Another low was filling my camelback up with what I thought was water and turned out to be electrolytes that I couldn’t stomach. I didn’t realise until I’d left the checkpoint and had to wait for the next one. Always check your water, folks. 

How did you cope with the extreme weather conditions? From boiling hot VOGUM to stormy EDDUM, did your event day strategy change at all? 

On the VOGUM I was on top of my water more. I thought I was drinking enough at the start but at mile 25 I realised I hadn’t, so between checkpoint three and four I made an extra effort and drank two litres of water. I also remembered to put sun cream on because I learned from last year’s burns! 

For the EDDUM I went out accepting I was going to get SOAKED through, and I love running in the rain, so that was no problem for me. Wearing a hat helped keep the rain of my face. 

But in general, I always think you should be prepared for whatever comes and the weather is what the weather is. 

How did you keep the momentum going between the different events? Usually after a big event, people take time to recover… but you were straight away preparing for the next one. 

Every month started with a big chunk of miles, followed by a good period of rest, so in that sense I had a head start on training for the next one! I always wanted to carry on training but, if I did, by week two or three I was exhausted. So, I took a recovery week of little to no running after the previous race, then I would have two weeks of medium volume, about 20-30miles, and then two 5k runs in the week of the race. 

It’s a dirty little secret, but between the EDDUM and the RIDUM I actually only ran about 36 miles total in the month. I was on holiday camping for some of the time, and the EDDUM was a big chunk of my month’s work!  

During the season I was doing enough to keep my fitness up, and letting my body recover.  This paid off, as I felt fresh for each race (apart from the RIDUM where I’d felt ill for a day or two before), and despite feeling sometimes like I wasn’t running enough, my fitness was always there and I enjoyed every race. 

How do you fuel on event day?

Gels, Marmite wraps, biscuits and Freddos from the aid stations.

I would eat every third mile. On mile three it was a gel, mile six a wrap and then rotating. Salted crackers would replace wraps if I didn’t fancy them. I had salt tablets at each mile, except when I was having a gel/wrap. I carried Polos with me too, which was a massive hit after the gels. 

I always carried back-up food in my rucksack as a just-in-case. 

I finished the race with a jam doughnut every time except the RIDUM because I pushed at the end for a faster finish on that one and had no interest in eating for a long while afterwards!

What have you learned about yourself from completing six ultras in six months? 

I already knew that when I put my mind to something I will see it through. But this taught me that, even in the dark moments when my mindset isn’t good, I have the mental strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

That I need to rest more than I think! That I like the way that I feel when I run and the energy get from it all. 

I don’t get depressed or irritable without running, but it always improves my perspective and I love the ‘me-time’ that it gives me. 

Your husband and three children also volunteered on the checkpoints. How was that experience for them? 

I’ll let my husband Joe take that one: “The experience was great. The volunteers are all wonderful, and Rhys and Cerys are genuinely lovely people. We were welcomed into the fold like old friends and soon became part of the family. The organisation on the events is excellent, and the checkpoints are fun and lively. It was exciting seeing the same faces coming through and always enjoyable hearing the stories of other volunteers’ ultra-experiences. The kids enjoyed dishing out goodies and calling out numbers, and the runners were always a joy, so all in all I would recommend it to anyone.”

Any advice for anyone thinking about taking on the Slam? 

It’s an amazing experience and incredible to be a part of all the events. Rhys, Cerys and baby Nye are so supportive, the volunteers are just the best. Whether you need strapping up or looking after or just cheering on, it’s just amazing. 

Rest more that you think you need. Rest is your friend. The training isn’t as daunting as you think, and the experience is more than worth it. 

You build fitness through pushing your limits, not through unending volume, so if you train well and rest better, you’ll hit the Slam. 

I could have pushed more to finish higher on the board, but for me it was always about getting myself home, I was never disappointed by my time, and if your goal is a huge achievement and completing six ultra marathons in six months, I can think of no better way of doing it. 

What’s next?!

Going back to the CANUM – I have unfinished business with that one. I’m also doing the Guernsey Ultra next year, running fully around the island, and completing my first 100k with Race To The Stones. I might do the EDDUM again, and perhaps the RIDUM. It’s hard to say no; they are so much fun.

Lorna has been using her Pegasus Slam to fundraise for Homeless Oxford. You can sponsor her here. 

Find out more about the Pegasus Slam here. 

Our She Runs Cardiff members are already signing up for various Pegasus events for 2024, either as runners or volunteers. For more information on Pegasus events visit their website here.

If you’re a She Runner taking part in any Pegasus event, let us know on our social media and we’ll direct you to our event pages and chat groups including others taking part.

If you’d like to volunteer, again contact us via our social media – we’d love to hear from you.