Couch to 55k

"Can I just ask you? The Charlie I know would never have considered anything like this! You would never even consider running to the shops!" Sophie said, the night before my first running event a 55km/36mile ultra marathon in the Lake District fells.

Sophie has known me since we were kids and she is very right! Even a year ago, I would have told you no way. I didn't even know what an ultra marathon was... September last year that all changed. My friend Matt Keddilty ran something called the Cumbria Way Ultra, a 75 mile race from Ulverston to Carlisle. Rowan and I were his support crew and what a day it was. Watching Matt undertake his mammoth run inspired me to get on my trainers and just make it out the door!
Rowan took me for my first run in October last year ... just to see what I could do. It ended up being 7 miles over fells and I got to the end and felt amazing. Rowan then encouraged me to simply train for something and just see how it went.

The first few runs were awful, starting to run in the autumn/winter was not a good idea. My lungs were burning and my heart was pounding so hard, every effort up Hoad Hill after work felt like an ordeal. Gradually over time things got better and the distances got bigger. Soon I was churning out 10 milers and everything became much easier and more natural. Around Christmas I found the UT55K, and I thought, "This is my kind of race!" Yes, I know, I had been running for two months and not run a marathon and I'm contemplating an ultra... I loved the sound of the race and thought that it was a challenge worth aiming for. With a goal in mind I set to! I broke the 20 mile barrier and felt really good. I'd got into a really good pattern of training and things were looking good until I had to have a small procedure on my back which left me with 16 stitches in my back. 4 weeks of no running ... I was seriously concerned. But as soon as I could put my pack on my back I was back out there.

With two months to go I hit training hard. Most weekends I'd be out on the fells and regularly doing 15/20 mile runs. But, the furthest distance I'd ever done was 21.5 miles ... not even a marathon. I was just going to have to go for it. A fair few people doubted/questioned me because of my lack of experience and distance and rightly so! However, I felt amazing! In the weeks leading up to the race I felt great and thought "what will be will be". I was determined to do it and do it well.
In ultra running there are lots of things to contemplate like, how am I feeling? How are my legs? Am I eating enough? Have I drunk enough? How is my head? What's my pace like? Am I on course? What obstacles have I got coming up? And I was about to do this all for the first time!

I wanted to run for charity and raise money for a good cause. Sadly a friend and mentor of mine, Paul, died of a brain tumour this year so I wanted to raise money in his memory. This played a huge part in the head game, having such a good cause to run for made me even more determined to smash it. Paul was such an inspiration to me so I wanted to do this in memory of him.
I wanted to run with a friend and my good friend Kristian agreed to come along for the ride! I was really nervous running with Kristian as he was far more experienced than I but after a training run I felt that he was a good match, again another tick for the head game.
Rowan agreed to be my support team and my mum and Sophie joined him as the support team so we were all set. All I had to do was do my part. Get out on course and go for it!

Rowan and I met the week before the race to plan where we'd meet and "what happens if?" and the nerves began to set in. What on earth was I doing? I am not a runner. 10 months ago you'd done nothing... You'll never complete it. I just had to do what I could.

The weather preceding the race had been scorching and a real game changer. As a ginger I really feel the heat so I'd been doing my best to get out there in the heat and train as much as I could. The forecast for race day was 25C not ideal but cooler than it had been.
I registered at Rothay Park in Ambleside on Saturday and went back to base camp to do final gear checks, eat and then sleep before getting up at 5:15 on race day.

Race Day
The alarm goes. Shower, get kit on, eat, get shoes on and try not to freak out because you're about to run an ultra marathon. Rowan arrives and kit goes into cars. We arrive at the start, much suncream is applied. Poses are made and pictures are taken all the while my head is churning through scenario after scenario - keep it together boy. We are all ushered into the pen for a safety briefing which no-one could hear and suddenly it's lights out and away we go!
7am - GPS watch locked and loaded and Kristian and I and the 600 other runners file out of Ambleside. We jogged out of Rothay Park only to stop a could of hundred metres up the road to cross through the town and up towards the fells and Kirkstone pass. Running where possible and walking where not we slowly made our way up the 1300ft climb to the top of the pass. We made it to the top in just under an hour and the first four miles were done. Rowan, Mum and Sophie checked on us but we'd hardly touched our supplies and we gave our numbers to the lady with the clipboard and squeezed through the gate down the other side of the pass.
We got stuck behind some slow people but it gave me a chance to chat to a guy about Brain Tumour Research as he commented on my pink vest. We got to the bottom of the pass and ran along a nice flat-ish section past Brothers Water in the morning sun.  From here we headed towards Glenridding which was a nice run in. We got chatting to a couple of folk along the flat there before meeting Rowan at CP2.

We restocked with frozen bottles and electrolytes. I grabbed a handful of nuts and taped a dodgy toe and we were off to face "the big one". We all knew that the next climb would be make or break. We had a long climb to the highest point on the course which was just shy of 2,000ft. After a short, sharp ascent we bimbled along the valley bottom until the pull up to Grizedale Hause. Progress slowed but we kept chugging! Kristian was starting to feel it but I didn't want to leave him despite numerous calls to go on! Despite having only just restocked in Glenridding I went through both bottles of water/electrolyte before the top of the pass ... oh dear. The only hope before the next CP was a fast flowing stream, which was hard to find because of the hot weather. Thankfully we did and the two of us picked up the pace as we came off the fell going down towards Grasmere.

I was storming at this point - I felt incredible. The two of us went through CP3 and met up with Rowan, mum and Sophie just out the other side. 19 miles in I was in fine form. Kristian was struggling but keeping it together - he did an awesome job with that! After half a sausage roll and a top up of anything and everything we both went for the last "big" climb of the day which was Silver How which would be around 1000ft. Again I flew up and I kept Kristian in sight and made sure that he was ok to which he would insist I went ahead but again I didn't want to leave him. We made our way down to Chapel Stile and round to the Baysbrown Campsite where we did eventually agree to split. I was happy that the majority of the hard work had been done and that support wasn't too far away at all points now. So we both made it to Rowan and told him the situation which he dealt with as cool as a cucumber, baring in mind that he'd now have to crew for two people running separately.

He stocked us up and then Kristian left before I did as I was faffing with a slight rub on my back. The next section was a dream and in my back yard! I wished Kristian well and ploughed on through the back of Elterwater and up to Little Langdale.

We were around 23 miles in now and I was flying, I descended to Slater Bridge and was on a roll. So much so that I was a bit rude to a tourist posing for a picture on the bridge telling them I was not going to stop ... sorry! Then the randomist thing ever. I started to get emotional ... What?! I was about to cross marathon distance and 10 months earlier I'd never run at all. It all crept up on me ... looking back it was quite funny! I took a deep breath and then said "right 10 miles to go! Lets do this!"

We then climbed up to Blea Tarn which was hot but Rowan was waiting with water up by the tarn. We then walked together for a short section and I asked Rowan to check up on Kristian and I headed off towards the steep descent to Great Langdale. My knee didn't like that too much but it held together nicely. Walking up the small rises and jogging the flats and descents I made it to the arranged point when Rowan appeared. "Have you seen your mum and Sophie?" he said, and with that they appeared with a concerned look on their faces. I was now at mile 30 and very tired and in no mood for questions. What I didn't realise was that because of lack of signal Mum and Sophie hadn't seen us since Grasmere, 10 miles earlier and they had no idea about the split. In typical Mum fashion, I was bombarded by questions. "Where's Kristian? What's wrong? What's happening? Why have you taken so long?", To which I gave as best an explanation as I could. Rowan could see I was getting stressed by the questions and handled mother and Sophie gave me what food I needed. Whilst getting bombarded by questions I simply said, "Just get Kristian to the finish, just do what needs to be done. If it means leaving me just get him there." And the questions stopped. Thanks mum for caring. Rowan reassured her that Kristian was only about 15 mins behind. After restocking I went off to Langdale School which was a bit of a climb but I chatted with some great people and the time passed quickly.

Coming into the last checkpoint, we received a hero's welcome and there was a huge crowd outside the checkpoint. I knew the end was close, there were varying reports of the distance to the finish 3k,5k,5miles - I didn't care I wanted the exact distance. It was getting hot. I grabbed some nuts and stuffed them unglamorously into my mouth and headed on my way. Rowan said he'd meet me at Red Bank one of two more climbs and sure and sure enough about a mile down the road Mum, Sophie and Rowan cheered me on to the second to last climb. Here lots of people remarked at how awesome my support team was and they were truly legendary. From here I got up Red Bank as quickly as I could and was relieved of the shade and flat of High Close.

I stuffed a gel in motored along to the last climb. 2 miles to go. I started to walk up the last climb and sure enough the course photographer was there waiting so I put on a little jog for him and promptly started walking again as soon as I passed him. 35 miles done and I meet a familiar face at the top of the climb. Rowan had come to meet me for the last section of the run. This really spurred me on that and the fact that my tracker was about to die (all for strava) and off we went. I bombed it down then hill into Ambleside and felt on top of the world. Rowan facebook lived the last section which you've probably seen and I was feeling great. Coming into Rothay Park was insane! People were cheering, kids were giving high fives and I was about to go from 0 - Ultra in the space of 10 months. I nearly missed the finish but thankfully Rowan pointed me in the right direction and there it was. The finish!
I had done it! And what a feeling it was. Then Rowan coined the phrase couch to 55k.

I very nearly had a little cry again but kept it together and to which Sophie and Rowan told me to stop getting emotional, another phrase that would be used a lot when I tried to explain something that happened in the race! After a little sit down we ventured to the end of the park to go and see Kristian come through. It was so great to see him again as I hadn't seen him for the last 12 or so miles. When he came over the bridge into the park I ran with him all the way along and in to the finish. We'd both done it!

After a catch up and some photos we went home for a well earned shower, food and then sleep! Both Kristian and I had some impressive dust lines. The dry weather had created a lot of dust and with sticky suncreamy sweaty legs they were a trap for the dust but it did make for a great tan!
After some food it was most definitely time for bed. I wasn't in any pain, I had some sunburn to my shoulder, one blister which was there before the race even started and then just a rub on my back from the pack - I was just tired.

The next morning I surprised everyone by getting up before my alarm went off and standing up with no issues at all. Mum asked if I was feeling alright but really tiredness was the only thing to mention. I thought the stairs would proved a challenge but no I sailed down them with no issues! I even had a little jog down the road to my car!

Overall it was a challenge and something that I am really glad I have done, however I do feel like there is unfinished business. I could go further, which I'm sure sounds bonkers to non runners. I am looking for new challenges and I'm strongly considering the Cumbria Way Ultra in September but I think I need a few more miles under my belt before I can totally commit to it. So in the meantime I will continue to train and get as many miles in as possible and make a decision in August.

To be honest I cannot believe I have made it this far. As I mentioned earlier this time last year I didn't even know what an ultra marathon was, I wasn't sporty, never run with any intention to compete and 10 months later I've completed an 36 mile ultra marathon which has ascent to the equivalent of climbing Scafell twice and a bit left over! I haven't just done it either, I've done it well - with no ill effects.

I was also running for a great cause, I would like to thank Brain Tumour Research for their intrest and support in my run. I was running in memory of Paul who was such an inspiration to me, he really invested in me as a young person and is the reason I am a Christian and a youth worker now. I am pleased to say that we have smashed the £500 target so a huge thank you to you all! You're amazing.

Also a mega thank you to the support crew - Rowan, for being an utter legend - being as cool as a cucumber whenever there was a flap and sorting out any needs we had out on course - and popping up in the most random of places! Sophie and Mum for the motivation, food and nagging ;) We couldn't have done it with out you. So many people commented on course how nice it was to see you out there so it wasn't just Kristian and I who really appreciated you!
And of course Kristian for being out there with me, grinding it out when things got tough for your support and encouragement throughout this ultra journey!
Thanks to everyone who I've managed to drag out on runs in the past few months - it's been a blast sharing this with you too! You're all amazing!

This certainly isn't the end of the road! I've got 400 miles to bag before the end of the year and potentially another ultra! You can still donate using this link and please do support the work of Brain Tumour Research:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CharlieDay1

Keswick to Barrow: Round Two: Are You Crazy?!

If you feel able to please do give generously to Alice's Escapes, who provide holidays for families with terminally ill children or families who have lost a child, using the following link: https://keswick2barrow.co.uk/donate/105434?cid2=105434

It's been a long time since the Isle of Wight and the end of the 500 Mile Challenge but needless to say the walking has continued although the terrain has somewhat changed having moved to Cumbria. Chris and I had been plotting for a while what our next challenge would be and we both decided that we would like to walk the Keswick to Barrow again, after all it couldn't be worse than the year before right?!
We enlisted Thomas Kjøndal, an intern at Ulverston Parish Church, to our team and bagged ourselves places on the fantastic Alice's Escapes team (thanks Sandy). Training was somewhat tricky as the three of us had very busy schedules but we had done ... well ... a bit. For me it was more a case of keeping things ticking over from IOW so I took myself around Coniston from my house in Spark Bridge which is 20 miles exactly and managed that in 5 hours which I was chuffed with. I felt no pain the next day either so I took that as a good sign. Thomas and Chris gradually built up their distances but were confident of their ability to do it. I would take myself off every night after work for a three mile walk/run along the roads by the house to keep the muscles fresh but was slightly concerned that I hadn't done anything over 20 miles since the IOW. I wasn't feeling too confident, especially after the state I was in last year ... Oh well there was no time to do any more training.!

I remember the apprehension the day before being unreal ... Was I mad to put myself through this again?! To top it off whilst out on a walk with Rob my housemate I fell over a stile and hurt my leg and I had a cold ... Just what you want when you're about to walk 42.7 miles!
Anyways I came home from kids group, quickly cooked myself some dinner and then made sure that I was in bed by 9:30pm because our get up time would be 2:30AM ... There are no words to describe the feelings I had when I put that into my phone alarm.

Everything was set for a quick get up, clothes all laid out, blister plasters tactically placed, bag packed, trainers prepped and instant porridge waiting to have water poured on it for the journey up to Keswick. My phone goes off and words cannot describe how rough I felt. I couldn't think straight so I was thankful things were laid out in front of me! I made a quick facebook call to my friend Mark Hanson in America as he was getting married to the lovely Grace that very day and then Chris came to pick me up.
We were late (my fault) so we bombed it down to Ulverston to pick up Thomas, who was surprisingly bubbly and full of enthusiasm. We headed down to the Team Alice bus pick up point where Thomas did his best to cheer up/irritate everyone (to this day he has never been as chirpy). Once on the bus, I sat next to Thomas who would not stop talking ... I had hoped to sleep for the hour and a bit bus journey but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

Man we look happy ... even though it was really cold and 5AM

We were some of the first to arrive at the start and had around 40 minutes to wait before we were allowed to start at 5:30. It was freezing. The wind was blowing and I was in my shorts, I was really questioning why I was walking at that particular point. Nevertheless, shortly after 5:30 we crossed the start line. The banter was in fine form and we were going at a steady but good pace. We made the first four miles in an hour which was pretty good and we aimed to keep going at that pace. We headed down the west side of Thirlmere and were passed by our friend Rowan Barton who was RUNNING the K2B, what a guy! We kept on going and started to plog up Dunmail Raise the first real climb of the day and it felt pretty good. We got to the top where we met our team stop. This is where Thomas took his shoe off ... I have never seen such blistered feet in my life. Skin was hanging off. I looked at our team organiser and she looked back and you could tell the same thought was going through our heads, "You're 10+ miles in, what on earth are they going to be like at the finish!" Thomas "sorted" his feet out and left his bag with the team to take to the end and we went on our way.

We were all feeling pretty good so decided to run down some of the hill into Grasmere where we met the lovely Callaghans! They stocked us up at their check point and then we went on our way. We headed down the side of the lake towards the stupendous Red Bank climb. Thomas briefly made friends with a young lady along the road, alas we were outpacing her and climbed the hill very quickly and left her behind.

I was feeling quite nervous at this point as this was where things started to go wrong last year, but I was fully functioning and felt incredible. We met some of the youth that Thomas works with and checked on them before running down into Elterwater. We must have run about 3/4 of a mile down into the village and I was super impressed with our pace and general feeling. We checked in at Elterwater and didn't stop for too long before heading towards Tilberthwaite. We climbed to the top of Hodge Close and Chris said he didn't fancy running for a bit so we pegged the pace back a bit.

At the top of Red Bank

We were slowed going into Coniston by other walkers going on the path into the village (understandable when there are 3000 of you). Chris said that he was starting to feel it but made it into Coniston well. We had got there in 6 hrs which was really good going! The first 21 miles were done, and we were relieved to see Michael Adams who had come out to supply us with flapjack which I accidentally dropped on the floor - it tasted great all the same! He blessed us (as he did last year) and we went onto our Team Alice checkpoint. We were greeted by bacon buns and very warm hospitality! It was such a privilege to walk for these guys, we didn't know them before the day but they treated us like old friends. Whilst stopped to eat Thomas sang to another lady in Norwegian ... he wouldn't say it himself but quite the charmer! We couldn't tell whether she was enjoying the serenade or completely weirded out.

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Sadly it was time to leave the lovely folk at Coniston and head down towards Lowick. We kept on our way down the lake where Thomas spotted that Chris had a slight limp. Thomas tried to take Chris' bag but he was having none of it. Then incessant bickering between the two continued and would do for some time (all in lighthearted jest).


I would walk on ahead a little and then look back and see the two of them still at it. Thomas would join me for sections and we would always check back to make sure Chris was ok. We got to Water Park where the paramedics were tending to someone in a very bad way. It's important to remember that these endurance walks are no easy thing and sadly for some it's a bit too much. We headed on to Lowick where the Brockbank's would be waiting for us. It was so nice to see familiar faces out there cheering us on. They gave some supplies and wandered with them for a bit before they turned back. We also bumped into Ceara who was out waiting for some friends. The effect of having friends on the route is unbelievable - the boost they give is vital and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.

Looking back to the Coniston fells ... We'd come from beyond the horizon ...

From here the only way was up. The going got tough, so desperate times called for desperate measures - Chris' caffeine gels had to come out. Those things are like rocket fuel and soon I was powering up the side of Krikby Moor. I think this is where Thomas had another brief encounter with his first lady friend but again it was all too brief for the young Norwegian. Going up the moor we spread out a bit because we all had differing energy levels and aches and pains, for the most part it was myself out front, Thomas a bit further back and Chris completing the trio further down the road. The gaps were getting bigger so I decided to reign in the pace a bit, we made it to our team checkpoint at the top of the moor and it was clear that Chris was really starting to struggle now, Thomas suddenly went quiet and I ... well I was absolutely fine. We had done 30+ miles now and were certainly on the home stretch, just down the other side of the moor, through Marton, Dalton and into Barrow.

We started on some flatter ground and the gaps started to grow again, but this time I turned around and Chris was nowhere to be seen. Not good. I thought Thomas was with him but no, Thomas was not far behind me. We had a brief conversation in which he said he had to carry on and that was it, he was feeling it too. Thomas continued and I looked for Chris and sure enough he came into view. From now on I would stay with Chris at his pace. Thomas was in pain and decided to get to the finish at a pace that he felt more comfortable at, totally understandable - sadly we don't know how many more ladies he used his Norwegian charm on.

On the final descent we were greeted by the welcome sight of our friends Rowan and Saga who had come out to give us that motivation for the last few miles. As soon as I saw them I put on a turn of pace and sprinted up to them ... I can only say that Chris' caffeine gels made me extremely hyper.
Rowan had completed the 42 miles in 8:40(?) mins - top effort, but even bigger effort for coming out again to cheer us on. We left Rowan at Marton and he took the car on to Dalton or the finish, I can't remember which now. Saga continued with us down towards Dalton where there were many hilarious chats. As the video below shows ... I was ... well ... off the planet with energy ... I feel sorry for Chris having to witness the ease at which I bounded along the roads and Saga for enduring my insanity.


 The pace was leisurely but that didn't matter, we were so nearly there and we were having a fun time. We had made it into Dalton and there was a very helpful Beaver, Cub, Scout group manning the checkpoint there - one of the boys was very talkative and he said that he was there from the first runner right up until the last walker. What a kid! He offered us plenty of sweets and encouraged us as we went.

The group got bigger again as Emily Mitchell joined us further down the road. Rowan drove past, which only encouraged my hyperness as I sprinted after his much faster Fiesta. Words cannot describe how I felt at this point. Not in a bad way ... in truth I didn't feel much pain at all but I had a phenomenal store of energy but I can't say that I could make any rational decisions. It was like an out of body experience but I was raring to go. Chris, myself and the fan club rolled out the far side of Dalton and onto Abbey Road. The end was in touching distance. Chris and I posed before the one mile to go sign and my face in Saga's picture says it all ... I was off my head on adrenaline. Chris was keeping it together nicely - he'd done so well. 41.7 down, 1 more to go.

The expression says it all ...

The four of us continued triumphantly through the streets of Barrow till we came to Hawcoat Park, we could hear the music pumping and we could taste the end was nigh. I said to Chris that we would do what we did the previous year and run across the line. Chris was cautious but up for it, until I gunned it and he said "JUST START OFF SLOWLY!" and I pulled it back and we went across the line together.


We had done it. Again! This time round we were over an hour faster than the year before. Chris was pretty emotional but he had done it and so after picking up our medals we went and sat on the grass bank to collect our thoughts. Chris wasn't going to budge from the spot so I went and found the others and encouraged them to come over to where Chris was. After having stopped for a minute or two my muscles started to stiffen at which point Saga forced me into stretch positions that would cripple any man let alone a man who had just walked 42 miles. Thomas came over and congratulated us and then we all went our separate ways. Rowan dropped Chris and I back at the car we had abandoned in Ulverston at 3AM. Chris was confident he could drive and after one sketchy moment he proved himself to be right.

The blokes tried to tell me I hadn't checked into the check points ...

Chris donning his medal with pride

Wahey! Chris was very happy ... so happy his eyes were nearly closed

I congratulated him again and mentioned I would see him at Cafe Church the next evening as he would be leading the service! Man we had done it again! What an effort.
I can safely say that after some food and a bath I was absolutely fine. Not a patch on the horrific pain of last year. The next day I was pretty much back to normal and even managed to run up the path to church.

The reason we do things like this is for fantastic causes. We get to have a great time but also we get to raise money for some incredible causes. This years Keswick to Barrow we were raising money for Alice's Escapes and they welcomed us in like a family. They were so happy for us to be walking for them and from the bottom of my heart I would like to say a huge thank you to Vicky and the team for being so wonderful in sorting out our team. The work they do in providing holidays for families with terminally or seriously ill children and families who have recently lost a child is invaluable. These guys wear their hearts on their sleeves and put their all into everything. If you feel you can donate to their amazing work please do so using the link below.
Again we had a great time, we pushed ourselves to the limit, had a laugh and raised money for a fantastic charity. Last year there were some doubts as to whether we would enter again, this time around there is no question in my mind. Until next May, well I had better find something else mad to do.

If you feel able to please do give generously to Alice's Escapes, who provide holidays for families with terminally ill children or families who have lost a child, using the following link: https://keswick2barrow.co.uk/donate/105434?cid2=105434

The Island: Day Three - One Last Time

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/displaySomeoneSpecialPage.action?pageUrl=500Miles

December 30th, 7:15 AM the alarm sounds - action stations. All of us had had a much better nights sleep than the previous, including Robin - although the way he walked down the stairs to breakfast did worry me quite a bit. Despite repeated calls to hurry up and get under way breakfast was a slow affair, Robin insisted on enjoying the last moments of luxury whilst I was really anxious to get going because I didn't want to do too much walking in the dark. Finally all our bags were packed and we made our way across the island back to Freshwater to start where we had finished the previous day.
The morale was high and we knew that come the end of the day it would be over. However there was still an alarming distance to cover.

The beginning of the end...

The four of us at the Tennyson Monument

The four of us set out from Freshwater and headed up onto Tennyson Down towards The Needles. I couldn't remember if I had locked the car so pegged it back up the hill to check and the others carried on. I had locked it and I still made it to The Needles first. Again I was undoubtedly in the best shape but the others were certainly feeling it so we stuck much closer together than we did the day before. Mainly because it was the last day and it would be great to spend as much time walking together as possible and it meant I could actually have a conversation with someone. We had fantastic weather and stunning views all along Tennyson Down and then we rounded The Needles where we were immersed in a wall of fog.

A really great stretch along Tennyson Down

This honestly isn't what it looks like ...

This didn't dampen young Christopher's spirits, as he enlightened us by telling us that we were encountering a rare phenomenon called the Brocken Spectre where halos form over your shadows in the fog. The rest of us thought, "yeah that's pretty cool", but Chris was in an excitement league of his own, he would not stop talking about how rare it was to witness such a spectacle and how privileged we were. (In hindsight it was something that doesn't happen very often and credit to Chris for identifying it and sharing his insight.)

Chris and the Brocken Spectre phenomenon, made this little chaps day!

Saint Peter found a brilliant picture from the tourist board showing us what we should be able to see and then he took his own picture of what we could actually see which really wasn't very much at all. We descended down into more fog and then rose above it again on the heath on the next hill. As we looked across the Solent it was clear that the fog was to be a permanent fixture for the days proceedings.

What the tourist board would have you think ...

What you actually get!

Headon Warren top, looking across the Solent. We should have been able to see the mainland ... it was a nice inversion though...

As we passed Totland we said farewell to Peter who would short cut across the narrow stretch of land back to Freshwater and park the car at the end in Gurnard and walk back towards us. The three of us passed through a holiday park which's exterior wasn't massively appealing and Robin likened to a concentration camp so we sped our way through there and into Fort Victoria park. We were very close to Yarmouth now and very ready for our lunch, which we carried ourselves. By the time we got into Yarmouth we agreed to only stop for a short while. We weren't willing to stray off the path to find anywhere nice to sit and eat our lunch so we parked ourselves in a very dingy bus shelter. We looked disgusting and the place itself was revolting, heaven only knows what passers by thought of us tucking into our sandwiches, its a miracle the police weren't called. It was at this point that I cheered everyone up by telling them that we only had 15 miles left to cover, Robin wasn't too impressed by this new revelation. Give him his due he was putting in a great stint and really going for it but Chris was now struggling and was bringing up the rear. After a short trip along the road outside of Yarmouth, Peter called to say that he was leaving the car now and we also encountered some different terrain.

The fog was still with us as we entered an ethereal looking lagoon (also known as swamp 1). I remarked at the beauty of such a place only to be ridiculed by the others. I merely said if we weren't doing this walk it would be a lovely place to see - I haven't been allowed to forget it. Ever since The Needles we had to deal with this incredibly irritating blurt of a fog horn every once in a while, just when you thought you had got rid of one, another would sound in the distance.
 

Honestly it looked much better than this ...

(Note due to failing light, horrendous fog and camera apps on my phone crashing this is the last photo for a while)

From here we trudged through sticky mud for a considerable amount of time, this was the real killer and added much time to our journey. I was growing more conscious of our time and our remaining sun light and how the fog would affect that. Finally, released from the sticky mud, we picked up our pace walking along the shore before we entered hell. Swamp 2 was far less glamorous than it's predecessor, it ran along the Newton river estuary and it was abysmal. We were all so fed up of mud and slime but it continued. On and on it went, just when you thought you had crossed the last slippy board walk you were faced with another. Finally, we reached a forested area and a much better surface to walk on, but we were pretty low, not only was it time consuming but swamp 2 had been zapping our energy. We were relieved to find that we would be shortly meeting Peter in Shalfleet so we ploughed on and darkness descended on the island.

W e got to Shalfleet, the fog thickened and by now it was complete darkness. Peter was still not with us but we carried on and we knew that we would see him very shortly. He never appeared. We were now out the other side of Shalfleet and we should have found him by now. The visibility was atrocious and Peter was out there somewhere, lost. We gave him a call and expressed that we were very concerned that we hadn't found him. This was the only time I thought we shouldn't carry on. We had lost a man in the dark and it was so foggy that you couldn't see a thing. We looked for any reference point that we could give him and Robin found a sign for a scout camp which Peter had seen before, he had missed a turning and carried on down the road. He assured us that he wasn't far off and would catch us up.  Nevertheless when Saint Peter did catch us up he gave us that much needed lift to spur us on - his enthusiasm that we were close to achieving our goal was infectious and that momentum carried us on.

At this point I checked the tracker and I knew I was extremely close to achieving my goal of 500 miles and should we finish I would be over the target. This was a tough moment for me, I don't often mention in these blogs, but every walk I did, I tried to think what Jim would be saying if he were with me and I was very close to tears walking along a road section out of Newtown. Peter was doing a sterling job with navigation despite the fog and darkness and Robin was powering on out front with me, what? Yes you did read that right, Robin was up front we me, not only keeping pace but setting it at times, it was really great to be able to chat about why we were both doing this but also spending time with a very good friend who I've known for years, against the odds being so close to finishing an epic walk. We had to be so careful along the road and Robin and I had a very near miss with a car. This car was approaching at ridiculous speed and I said to Robin, "just tuck yourself in a bit more to the hedge mate ... hang on ... be prepared to jump." The stupid idiot (not Robin) was driving way to fast down a narrow country road and very nearly hit us.

Thankfully Peter and Chris spotted the sign which took us off the road and we were in touching distance of the finish. We had to negotiate (in Peter's words) "small rivers" or a big bog and were assured that these were in fact the last muddy bits ... you can find out whether they were or not in the following section. We also came to our last stile ... again find out in the next section if it was indeed the last stile. By now we were all (Peter included) feeling it. All of us had done 20+ miles and were pretty worn out. Peter had developed a twinge in his knee and was hobbling along. He assured us that he would be ok as we entered another holiday park. This one was nicer than the last but a twisted sign led us astray. Once we regained the path we were so close. Peter was telling us all the things that we needed to look out for so through the fog and dark we kept our eyes peeled. It was so difficult to spot anything let alone specific targets.

After another stile we carried along the edge of a field to the coast line when the path became very unclear, we did what we thought was best only to be told "No, this isn't right theres a bridge which we have to cross" well there clearly wasn't a bridge there was a passive pond. I told Robin and Chris to backtrack but Robin was convinced there was a round. Very tired now, I said, "Well go and look for yourself then!", "Alright, what are you on about its looking good, yeah its fi... No, no there's definitely not a way through there" he replied. After checking our GPS trace we realised that we hadn't followed the shore closely enough so we found the beach and then the bridge and we were onto the last straightforward part of the walk. We were walking along the cliff edge towards Gurnard and found a bit more mud but it wasn't too sticky before finding a road.

This was it. Along this road and to the corner and the sign where we started two days before would be there. It was around 7:30 now and we were so happy to see street lights. I checked the trace to check that we were in fact meters from the finish (because you couldn't see further than the next house!) and sure enough the finish was just there. I quickly stopped everyone, to which Robin couldn't understand why I was doing it and gave a little speech, which was met by, "Shut up! we aren't even there yet, oh bloody hell we are!"We had made it, three days of relentless walking and we had made it all the way around the Isle of Wight. 74.1 Miles. The 500 Mile challenge was complete. Wow. There were no words, and to be honest even now it still seems a bit ridiculous that we actually did it. We posed for (as you can see) the worst picture known to man, the fog probably messed up the auto focus.

I would like to say that we were greeted by our loved ones but seeing as we are all single we just crammed our stuff in the fiesta and debated our next move. Stay on the island or go home?
Saint Peter: "Charlie, are you ok to drive?"
Charlie: "Yeah, I mean my legs are a bit stiff but the worst thing is the tiredness but I'm fine, I can drive."
Saint Peter: "Good, because I don't think I can!"

Great, our support guy has knackered himself so much that he can't drive! We decided to go home so we bombed it over to the ferry to see if we could still catch one and we were told we could (at no extra cost!) but there would be a wait so we parked the car up and saw a pub so we all started to move out of the car. There were many groans as we got out of the car so much so that one of the ferry operators heard us and asked us where we were going. We explained and she said, "but your ferry will be here in about 10 minutes! So don't go far." We weren't delighted by the fact that we could get on a ferry straight away, more miffed that we had taken the effort and endured considerable pain to get out of the car only to be told to get back in! We did see the funny side of it. The fog was messing the ferries up but we boarded and made our way up the ferry stairs which had a very interesting affect on Robin. At the end of every day, Robin's body never ceased to amaze us as what it would do - it was the gift that just kept giving (I never thought I would ever write that in a sentence). Day 1 he throws up. Day 2 he starts going from hot to cold really quickly. Day 3 we are on the ferry and he sits down and his whole body starts shaking, not a pathetic twitch but properly shaking. All of us, Robin included, started laughing but we didn't know whether we should be calling for help or what! Anyway he stopped after a while and we got back to the mainland.

There was no formal send of, it was more chuck everyone out of the car as quick as possible as it was now 1AM by the time we got back to Fetcham. Nevertheless the experience the four of us shared was unforgettable. We were overwhelmed by your support and your interest and we cant thank everyone involved enough. There will be another post at some point to round up the year but this event was something else. What a great way to spend our Christmas holiday. We have all talked about the possibility of a future walk and we certainly aren't going to rule it out. Again thank you so much for your support, we had fun, we did something crazy but most importantly we raised money for charity and did it in memory of people that we love and have lost.

So the final count is:
Walk total: 25.8 Miles
Isle Of Wight total: 74.1 Miles  

Overall Total: 508.03 Miles 

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/displaySomeoneSpecialPage.action?pageUrl=500Miles

The Island: Day Two - Here We Go Again

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

7:30 AM, The alarm goes off. It's time to get up and go again. Blister plasters were tactically placed and my bag was packed but the thought that was overriding them all was "Is Robin ok?". Chris did his best to reassure me that we would all get to the end ... well at least of the day.  Their was a tap at our door and to my relief, Robin was alive. Stoic as ever Robin assured us that he was "alright" despite walking 25+ miles the day before, being sick during the night and not having slept very well. He was determined to keep going. By this time Saint Peter had awoken and wasn't entirely happy with Robin starting the day with Chris and I, I echoed his sentiment, it would be better for Robin to take it easy in the morning and get dropped off further round if he felt up to it. Robin convinced us that he was ok and that he would certainly say if he started to feel bad. Peter agreed to walk with us for the start of the walk.

After a hearty breakfast laid on by The Victoria Lodge Hotel (check them out - really nice guys and great service) we grabbed our bags and headed down to the coastal path. Robin decided not to tell us what hurt following the furthest distance he'd ever walked the day before. Chris had a slight twinge in one of his legs and I ... well I was fine (much to Robin's annoyance). As we started the walk we were faced with a steep descent down to the beech and back up the other side of a chine. We were all very glad that we didn't have to face that at the end of the day before. The first challenge of the day came where we had to "dodge the bog" on the far side of a stile. We were most disappointed after some daring leaps to find that we could have simply followed the road along the edge of the field. Ah well it all added to the adventure hey ... well we now had wet feet and were only about 1 mile in.
The path ascended and descended quite a few times around the Bonchurch area and still we carried on. Robin informed us that he was easing into it which was an encouraging sign given his state at the end of the previous day.

We stuck to the sea wall along to Ventnor (one of many words that Robin had issues pronouncing) which was nice and we made good time along that stretch. It was nice to be walking through a town again. Coming out the other side of the town we saw the lighthouse at St. Catherine's Point which didn't look too far. It was one of those sights that was actually pretty deceiving. We inched closer and closer but it took forever.

Costa Del Ventnor

Suddenly the coastal path signs were taking us in land towards St. Lawrence and Robin start to drop back. We knew that it wouldn't be far from St. Catherine's Point to where Peter would be meeting us for lunch which spurred him on somewhat. We then had to climb to the top of the hill and were then faced with sticky mud. This was by far the worst surface to walk on. We must have had about 1mile of sticky mud along the edge of a farmers field until we hit Niton where we were excited to see the Saint and receive the bountiful delicacies he would produce. We finally rounded St. Catherine's point and progressed to the rendezvous point, shortly before arriving we had a phone call from Peter checking to see how we were doing and we said that we weren't far off and that we would see him shortly. He said that he was near a church and that surprised me a bit, as there wasn't a church within half a mile of us. I rang him back to double check where he was to which he replied, Ventnor. Oh dear. After relaying our location he speedily caught us up and we had our lunch. There was a sobering fact about our lunch spot, we could see where our day would be ending, Freshwater, on the horizon. It would be another 12 miles before we got there.

Somewhere in the distance is Freshwater

We checked up on Robin who told us that he was indeed fine and we carried down to Blackgang. We then started the beautiful but also demoralising trek towards Freshwater, a long cliff top walk where the end was nearly always in sight. We had to make detour after detour to avoid Chines (gullies or chasms which varied from small to large). Robin although in pain was in his element look at all the geographical processes taking place along the cliff and we were given a running commentary of the process that caused the process to take place, well I say we I mean Chris, as I was storming it out front conscious of light and time. You may think this as being cruel or hard, but the reality was if I slipped back to them then our pace would slow. Robin wasn't too happy about this but he understood that it was being done for a reason.

That's me in the distance - heartless ...

During one venture into a chine Peter rang through to Chris to say that he had been walking for an hour in our direction from the finish and was wondering where we were, this was not a good sign. This meant that even when we got to Peter it would be more than an hour before we reached the end. This really got me down. Nevertheless I was determined that the next figure I saw on the horizon would be a saintly figure glowing in the last light of the day, so we pressed on through a beautiful sunset. As we looked to our left we watched the sea slowly extinguish the sun, simply stunning. Exit light, enter night, so we turned our torches on and progressed along coast toward Freshwater. We deviated from the coast slightly but on our return to the cliff side I saw a solitary torch across the next field. The light moved up and down as if it were greeting someone, it could only be one person, Bedekovics! Delighted to see our saint, I ran to Peter and there was a joyful embrace. At the sight of my ease of running, Robin silently plotted more ways to dispose of my body but even he was pleased to see Peter.

Poor little buddy, he was really feeling it

Peter shared the responsibility of setting the pace with me, even pushing me at points. Having someone by my side to talk to was really nice and I hadn't realised how much I had missed it. We marched on chatting about films and Peter's book that he intends on writing at some point (look out for it, it's going to be a bestseller!). We checked up on Chris and Robin who were now silently plodding along, its not a good sign if people aren't talking. There was no discord between them they were simply tired and wanted no more than to finish. The last bit required a bit of navigation, which we left down to Peter who, don't forget, had walked the path before. The previous days experience was looming large in our mind, and sure enough with it being dark now there were parts where Peter was uncertain of the way we had to go. Robin announced that he was starting to feel like he had done the previous day again. Chris was at the end of his tether and was frustrated that there was a lack of signs as to where to go and said "Well it can't be down there, its a massive gorge!". When Chris raises his voice, you know there is an issue. Taking Chris' advice we went through a field and found a sign again and were now walking along side the main road, happy days, no seriously this was good.

Simply over the cliff and down the other side to Freshwater and we'd be done for the day. The gap between grew between the two pairings and we could tell that Robin and Chris were seriously tired. Again thoughts jumped to the next day ... how are we going to be able to do this! Peter and I agreed that it would be best for me to drive and get Robin home quicker so I went back to the car and changed my shoes whilst he got the others through the last part of the walk. We had made it to the end of day two! A huge achievement, but Robin and Chris were spent. I drove us as quick as possible to get Robin back but he was going from hot to cold really quickly. We got back to the hotel and much to our amusement Robin hadn't locked his room door so that he could have a quick entry into bed. That is where he remained for the evening. We were sent out with a request for food which we took back for him which we are informed was devoured in a short space of time - a drastic improvement on the night before. Day two was over. The final day was around the corner.

Walk Total: 22.9 Miles  

The Island: Day 1 - What could possibly go wrong

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge

Christmas has passed and the enormity of the challenge slowly dawned on me. Three days of solid walking. What have we put ourselves forward for. There was however another more overpowering feeling. Determination. 433 miles had already been covered, in three days that number will be over 500 and the challenge will be over. Having spoken to Robin a couple of days before, he also shared this view. There was no shadow of a doubt that we wouldn't achieve this. Ferries booked, places to stay (partially) arranged and time off work (finally - in some cases) negotiated the team assembled on 27th December.

Charlie Day - Christian Youth and Schools Worker - Walking for: The Rainbow Trust as part of the 500 Miles Challenge

Robin Beeson - Secondary School Teacher - Walking for: The Duke of Edinburgh's Charity

Christopher Smith - Vet - Walking for: The sake of it

Saint Peter Bedekovics - Minister/Saintly Business - Support driver and walking also for the sake of it

With everything stowed in the Fiesta we made our way down to Southampton where we crossed The Solent to the Isle of Wight. The car journey was filled with much hilarity and bullish comments from a certain teacher like, "Its going to be easy" or "It's not going to be a problem at all." The pessimist in me rebuffed such comments by saying, "lets see how things go", Chris kept quiet not tempting fate meanwhile the Saint laughed.

We stayed in a scout hut on the first night, where there was much hilarity over sleeping arrangements and what we would indeed be sleeping on to keep us off the cold floor. Robin, the clever scout, came prepared, the rest of us however didn't. Chris had a plan which involved tiny strips of carpet which he found in a cupboard. Meanwhile the Saint prayed over a heater and it started working.
After an interesting night we awoke the next morning to realise we had no breakfast and lunch. Chris, Peter and I ventured out in the trusty wagon in search of a shop, Robin stayed behind to guard the place ... sleep a bit more.

Over breakfast we planned the route and meet up points for the day. Peter would be walking for a bit then turning back to pick up the car and meet us at the next stop and repeat so he needed to know where to be.

On Day one we would be walking from Gurnard where the scout hut was to Shanklin - a long stretch but we wanted to get it out of the way on the fist day. With everything packed and strips of carpet returned to the cupboard we left from Gurnard and picked up the coastal path signs, posed for a quick picture and then we were off. From Gurnard we walked down the hill and along the sea wall to Cowes. A nice gentle walk to get us going, as Robin and I would say in F1 terms "a systems check". We headed through the town and made it to the chain ferry that would take us across to the other side of the river (Don't panic, you have to use the ferry to cross - we didn't cheat!).

This is where we left Peter and headed out on the road out of Cowes. We followed the road for a fairly long way and up a hill past Osbourne House - Robin made some joke about George Osbourne ... A lot of the walk was filled with Robin's humour. Just outside of Whippingham we moved onto a lesser road, we were a bit saddened that this was indeed a part of the coastal path but it did make it easier to walk on and meant we could go at a good pace. We passed through some residential areas on the way to Fishbourne and walked across Wooton Creek. We made good progress past Quarr Abbey and then along to Ryde where Peter was waiting with our lunch.

We sat in the sun and ate our lunch which Peter had prepared for us. Robin insisted on feeding the seagulls much to my annoyance and Chris' amusement. We had another picture together before heading off again. Peter would now head down to Shanklin and start to walk back towards us and meet us somewhere along the way. Once we were out of Ryde we had a nice walk along the sea wall and then I must confess my memory goes blank until the next notable moment.

We were going through a nice part of St. Helens and had just crossed a causeway when Robin announces that he is struggling and doesn't feel massively well. This was not good. We still had a fair distance to cover, perhaps even as much as 8-10 miles. Regardless he carried on.

Peter phones me to say that the person who we were staying with thought we were coming on Friday ... it was Wednesday, nevertheless St. Peter used his Hungarian charm and all was well. We had a beautiful sunset coming around Bembridge and we used the last light of the day to get us to the top of Culver Down. Robin is now really starting to struggle, we have walked around 20 miles but there is still another 5 to go. Peter assured us that he knew the way but the light was fading fast so the torches came out and we struggled to find the Coastal Path. We found a field that had a path going through it. It also had a bull in it. We weren't put off as we knew Chris, being a vet, would know how to charm it. We were lost. In the dark. With a man on his last legs. I suggested we find our way back to the top of the hill, which was swiftly rebuffed by Robin in two words.

Chris was sent ahead for bull precautions and also because he had a far superior torch which he pointed at the far side of the field and it bounced back at us. A SIGN! We had found the coastal path, at which point Peter instantly remembered that he knew where we were ... (this would happen a few more times). We had made it to Sandown but then we had the long drag down the bay, we all took it in turns to spur Robin on (we didn't realise how bad he was until we got in). Once we passed the pier Peter reassured us that it wasn't too far. And it wasn't if you hadn't already walked 25 miles! Nevertheless we made it to Shanklin and to the comfort of the hotel which one of the scout leaders owned. Robin moved the fastest he had all day to his room and then stayed there. We told him that we'd be going into town for food in a bit and to get ready. We had no response. That is not like Robin. Not at all. We put it down to him just being tired and in some pain. Chris, Peter and I had a lovely meal down in Shanklin, when we returned to the hotel we went in to see Robin to find out that he had been, in his words,"very sick". We left him to sleep and we would re-evaluate in the morning and decide then what to do. It was not looking good.

Walk Total: 25.4 Miles

Please do give generously to Jim's chosen charity The Rainbow Trust using the link below to support families with seriously or terminally ill children through some of the toughest situations. Thank you for your support and enjoy this round up.
To give to the Rainbow Trust please use this link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/500mileschallenge