Determination gets Jack through run
ON THE home stretch of his 48 miles in 48 hours challenge, Jack Domaille said the cheering and support he heard is something he would never forget.
After being inspired to take on the challenge by retired Navy Seal and ultramarathon runner David Goggins, Mr Domaille knew that if he spent too long deciding whether it was a good idea he might talk himself out of it.
‘I spoke to my physio, Dawn, and she said a challenge like this should have had at least six or eight weeks of preparation but I knew it was something I wanted to just get on with,’ he said.
After his football career with Guernsey FC came to an abrupt end following a serious knee injury in 2016, Mr Domaille said he wanted to do the challenge to prove he could still push himself and achieve something amazing.
‘I had surgery on my hip and knee twice and my knee has still not recovered fully – I had all the excuses in the world not to do it but once I set my mind to something I just have to do it.’
Reflecting on the challenge, Mr Domaille said each time he ran his legs felt heavier but he was also more tired mentally, which proved more difficult than he anticipated.
‘When it came to recovery I knew I had to be strict with ice baths and stretching, but also I felt hungry but I didn’t want to eat before I ran and once I’d finished the run I’d lost my appetite,’ he said.
‘It was brutal, to be honest.
‘I had sort of prepared myself for the running element of the challenge, but not the recovery parts in between.
‘It was constantly relentless thinking about the next run – and getting in an ice bath at 4am is not very nice.’
He was not sure at the time how he was going to get out of bed for the final 4am run.
‘The weather was horrendous too, really windy and pouring with rain.
‘When I came home exhausted and freezing cold I just curled up in a ball and cried thinking “What have I done?”. I really thought I’d taken it too far this time.
‘But I’ve just got something inside of me that refuses to give up.’
Proud to have completed it, Mr Domaille said it was not a challenge he would take on again but was so pleased at how special it felt raising money for a good cause and having the support of friends, family and other islanders.
‘The last run felt incredible, it was amazing to see the amount of people who came out and cheered me on for the final stretch.
‘I couldn’t hear my Strava app telling me how fast I was running, but on the last run I ended up doing nine-minute miles, the two before that were about 11-minute miles so it just goes to show the determination I had to get it done.’
However, things have not returned to normal for Mr Domaille just yet.
He woke up in the middle of the night after completing his last four-mile run panicking that he was going to miss his next one.
His thighs are bleeding from chafing, his feet are covered with blisters and he said his feet feel bruised to the point that it hurts to stand.
‘The next few days are going to be rough, but raising money for the key workers and frontline workers during the Covid-19 crisis makes it all worth it.
‘We’ve raised more than £5,000 now and I’m so pleased it is going to the real heroes of this pandemic, they’re the brave ones.’
Leaving islanders with a message that inspired him, Mr Domaille said: ‘Through pain comes strength.’