From Med Student to Marathon Medic
My Weekend on the Isle of Wight
Maya Williams, Medical Student
Ever been procrastinating work by scrolling through social media? Well that is exactly how I ended up working at an Ultra marathon on the Isle of Wight (IOW)! After messaging Trailmed on Instagram asking how medical students can get involved I was excited when asked if I wanted to join them on the IOW the following week. It was an easy yes as it meant a weekend of sport in a place I’d never been.
Friday quickly came around and it was time to catch a lift to the ferry with one of the doctors who had also joined TrailMed as a student. When we arrived at the port with the sunshining it felt like we were going on holiday. An hour and a half later we had arrived at our campsite for the night in Chale just in time to see the sunset and pitch our tents, after which it was time to get some sleep before an early start on Saturday.
Soon enough the 05.30 alarm went off and after only waking up x2 due to the generator and someone snoring I decided that was a win. I got ready for the day and had a quick breakfast before meeting the team. After piling into the van it was decided the best way to get us ready for the day was some Drum and Bass on the way to our stops.
After arriving at rest stop 2 the weather was lovely (albeit a bit warm for the runners) and we set up the medical area. The 1st few participants came through with little issues but soon enough the blistered feet started appearing. Prior to this weekend I had, had little exposure to feet however after the weekend was over, I feel I could lance blisters and tape feet in my sleep! By 4pm the back pacer had arrived, so it was time to go to our next stop. After arriving at East Cowes I re-pitched my tent (with a bit of help from some friendly paramedics) before it was back to a busy evening of strapping feet and helping fainters. The time flew by and soon enough it was time for bed before a 04.30 alarm the following morning
Although I didn’t appreciate the early start, I did see a lovely sunrise (sometimes you need to celebrate the small wins!). Sunday passed in a blur of blisters, and it was quickly time to get back to the finish to grab some food before getting a lift back to the ferry. After some goodbyes in Southampton we were back in the car with some singalong songs to keep the vibes up on the way home.
Overall I enjoyed my weekend on IOW with TrailMed and will definitely work for them again. All participants were very grateful for our help, so it felt like a rewarding few days. As a medical student it was so cool to meet others who are doing interesting jobs and talk to them about their experiences. I would recommend working for TrailMed as you are guaranteed to have a weekend, you’ll remember with slightly crazy but cool and inspiring people.
