Andy Berry: ‘I did everything I could’ to be primed for Lakeland 100 after 24-hour record

Andy Berry says he has meticulously planned his recent weeks in order to be in top condition for the Lakeland 100 on Saturday.

The British runner set a new record for the Lake District 24-hour Fell Challenge in May, summiting all 78 peaks above 2,000ft in the national park in 23 hours and 23 minutes.

Berry’s effort was 22 minutes quicker than the time set by previous record holder Kim Collison, who is also among the leading contenders for this year’s Lakeland 100.

“Fresh and firing”

A podium finisher at the Cheviot Goat and The Lakes Sky Ultra, Berry is tipped as one of the favourites and is raring to go after covering around 145km during the Fell Challenge.

“Coming out of the 24-hour record the first priority was making sure of no injuries and then not pushing too hard too soon when there weren’t any so we didn’t create one,” he wrote on Instagram.

“We then played with a bit of everything we did over winter, some short reps, some longer.

“All just to wake the body back up as we knew there would be no major gains built really it was all just to keep what I already have fresh and firing.

“My favourite latest little thought bubble is ‘pressure is a privilege you have earned’ I want to succeed at Lakeland, I expect it of myself to race well and I’ve earned the right to look myself in the mirror and say I did everything I could to be ready.

“So it’s excitement time now to tick down to Coniston.

100-mile motivation

Berry has previously posted on Instagram about his desire to test himself over the 100-mile distance, and was delighted when he secured his place at the Lakeland 100 earlier this year.

“Seriously excited to get entries into Lakeland 100 and The Arc 100 mile,” he wrote.

“Time to work hard on how far I can push my ability to run 100 miles.

“It’s not about the race or the course, it’s about what I can get my body to achieve upon them.”

In a more recent post, Berry revealed that a Lakeland 100 pre-race session had shown “the legs are there and ready to go” as he gears up for a 100-mile haul featuring 6,300m of ascent.

Ryan Smith is another tipped to go well in the men’s Lakeland 100, while 2016 winner and course record holder Beth Pascall picked out Lisa Watson as her favourite for the women’s crown, which Emma Stuart secured last year.