From rowing to running: Graeme Thomas’ 43-mile blockbuster ultramarathon
The two-time Olympic finalist will participate in the Salmon Run to highlight the migratory journey of the endangered Atlantic salmon from sea to spawning ground
It’s well known that outside of a boat, a rower is never particularly far away from an epic challenge. For Graeme Thomas, the Salmon Run is not just an epic challenge along the Exe River; it’s about raising awareness of all the issues facing British waterways and Atlantic salmon.
The 2021 winner of the Diamond Challenge Sculls originally hails from Preston and was blessed to have the River Ribble on his doorstep. Much like the Ribble, all 68 of the UK’s salmon rivers are facing issues and a decline in the number of salmon that call these rivers home.
Graeme hopes this weekend’s challenge, which coincides with The River’s Trust Big River Watch, will help bring together river users to make a positive impact on the waterways.
“The salmon run hasn’t been running for so long. It’s run by Tidelines, a community organisation who are trying to bring people together across the sciences. This includes ecologists, artists, conservationists, local people, and those involved with the landscape and with the river,” explained the stalwart of Agecroft RC.
“It also includes other people who have lots of experience in the rivers, perhaps parents and grandparents who have fished in it and seen a decline in fish numbers. So much so that their traditional netting is a banned practice now, which is quite a sad thing.
“Everyone loves to talk about sustainability, and they were practicing something that was completely sustainable, but now, due to impacts from pollution, weir, barriers in the river, issues with fishing of the salmon out in the oceans, they’ve lost their sustainable way of life.”
Graeme’s route will see him starting at 08:00 tomorrow morning (Saturday) at the mouth of the estuary in Exmouth. For the most part, he’ll follow the river right the way to Dulverton. The first 20km of the route is expected to be relatively flat, before heading towards Exmoor National Park and the hills.
Graeme is used to large volumes of mileage. He’s a keen cyclist and enjoys bike packing as well, so he’s used to having to fuel himself and get enough energy in the body to sustain large efforts such as this.
“A rowing race is six minutes, and yes, we do a lot of UT2, but it’s completely different from having to for 10 hours. I’m aiming for 10 hours. The fuelling is probably the thing I’m least worried about, to be honest, because I’ve got such a big training history. It’s a simple strategy. It’s complex carbohydrates in the first four hours and then switching to simpler and simpler foods and sugars as we get closer to the end, and I can’t really stomach the idea of chewing anything.”
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While Graeme will be out suffering on the hills, the public will be able to support him in his efforts to raise awareness about issues facing the rivers and waterways around Britain.
“I’d absolutely love for people to donate to the Rivers Trust, who are doing fantastic work across the country, but I realise times are tight. However, the Big River Watch app is free to download,” explained Graeme.
If you have kids or grandkids, go and find your local patch of water and record what you see. It’s like a big citizen science survey, and it’s a great way to see a snapshot of the rivers. We operate in silos at the moment. We’ve got rowers talking about clean water, swimmers talking about clean water, and we’ve got sailors talking about clean water. We really need to come together because while we do have a good voice individually, it’s far more powerful together.
“I’m thinking big picture, and I feel like I’m pretty positive, and I want to be collaborative to help other people and understand their perspectives. Rowers want clean water so they don’t get sick, and they can get the training time in. Anglers want more fish to have a chance of catching something, but that’s all fighting for the same thing: improving the water quality and the biodiversity.
“You don’t have to spend money, and you meet such wonderful people who are so passionate, and it’s really invigorating to be honest. Those opportunities are out there to make a difference. Sometimes it feels like a drop in the ocean, but all those drops make an ocean, and if we all come together, we’ve got a good chance of making a difference.”
One of the key objectives of British Rowing’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy is to ‘Help our Waters Thrive’. The Salmon Run will coincide with The Big River Watch, a nationwide citizen science initiative inviting anyone to get involved in protecting rivers across the UK. The Rivers Trust needs more information on the quality of your rivers, and this survey will help them identify and locate the issues your river is facing. It only takes ten minutes and is a visual exercise.
“I’m not really sure what particular aspect of the run I’m looking forward to, to be honest. There’s a lot of fear. I haven’t done enough training to be doing an ultra-distance, I’ve never even run a marathon, so I’m going straight in at the deep end. I think a lot of athletes say they are going to do a challenge, and then people will say, ‘Oh, that’s not that hard because you’re an Olympic athlete,’ but it really is; it’s going to be a savagely hard challenge. I think I’m excited to bite off more than I can chew and just see how I handle going for that long.”
Graeme Thomas will be running the Salmon Run on 19 September 2025. You can donate to his fundraising efforts here.
From 19 – 25 September, survey your river with The Big River Watch app to help restore rivers across the UK and Ireland.
