The Adventure of the 26 Mile Trek

Yesterday was the day I'd been building up to for most of the year, the day I would be walking twenty-six miles around Salisbury and Stonehenge to raise money for Alzheimer's Society. When I signed up back in December I obviously hadn't anticipated that 2020 would be such an odd year and this led to the trek coming at the end of my first week back at work after six months. This had both the advantage of giving me far more time to train than I had anticipated but also the worry that I would be exhausted after adjusting back to work life. 

Fortunately, I had a great first week back and the 5AM start felt surprisingly straightforward. After traveling to Salisbury and then getting a shuttle bus to the start (once the driver had gone around most of the city to find it) we were ready to go. 

The first eleven miles were easy. We wandered along a long tarmac cycle path and through Salisbury city centre, passing its magnificent cathedral so beloved by members of the KGB. Eventually, the paths became more gravelly and we were out in the countryside. The weather was just about perfect, warm but with enough cloud cover and a gentle breeze to make it comfortable. We had a brief stop at five miles where I raided the snack table for a Nutrigrain bar and some Haribo and we were off once more. 

The stunning Salisbury Cathedral

It was the twelfth mile where things first became difficult. It wasn't that eleven miles was my limit distance-wise, far from it, but shortly after the eleven-mile marker, we began an ascent of a long, steep hill. The path was quite narrow and was blocked by some of the other five hundred plus trekkers meaning I couldn't really go at my ideal pace. I seem to find that I speed up for hills and can manage them better if I zoom up them and take a breather at the top rather than take a steadier pace. Unfortunately, large groups of people made this difficult so I struggled up and felt drained by the time I eventually reached the summit. 

Thankfully there was a lunch stop at the halfway point of thirteen miles which gave me the opportunity to recover from the difficult section, as well as consume various food items including a pan au chocolat. I felt a bit nervous about the second half at this point. I knew that much beyond thirteen miles was a stretch for me and any more horrendous sections could cause serious difficulties. Thankfully my usual nosiness led to me over-hearing someone from the charity saying the second half was generally easier and having had plenty to eat I felt ready for the next section. 

Going strong just after half way

I felt OK for the next five miles or so as we walked along farmland tracks and country roads, kept entertained by a trekker with headphones on ahead of us repeatedly not noticing cars approaching from behind her. We also got a view of Stonehenge, though frankly by that point the ancient monument wasn't very inspiring. Towards the nineteen or twenty mile mark, my body began to conclude that this was really quite enough walking for one day thank you very much. My legs were aching and I could feel the tell-tale pain of blisters on the soles of my feet. By this point, the cloud cover was gone and we were walking through open countryside with no shade. I never perform well in heat and after twenty miles of walking it was the last thing I needed and my water was reaching a periously low level.

Thankfully there was a final rest stop at twenty-one miles where I was able to refill my bottle (twice as I was that thirsty) and I sat down for a few minutes which my legs were hugely grateful for. By this point, the little car park at this stop was littered with the broken bodies of exhausted trekkers taking a break, though there were still a few who seemed to be in frustratingly good shape, which is the last thing I really wanted to see. 

The sit-down and the water did some good and whilst the next mile or two were still painful, I managed them OK. The last four miles were by far the worst of the trek. It would have been awful enough had they been on flat tarmac roads but we had to contend with a steep set of stairs, a narrow track which involved lots of ducking under branches and brambles and some long hills on gravel tracks. Each step hurt and I felt awful. I wanted nothing more but to just stop and give up but I thought of the people who sponsored me and the many that had sent me wishes of good luck that morning and I continued to press on, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. 

The time between the final four-mile markers seemed to last forever. Eventually, the hill of Old Sarum appeared in the distance and I knew the finish line was just the other side. It's really hard to describe just how I was feeling at this point in the trek. I knew that this was by far the most physically demanding thing I had ever done and I was feeling pain in my shoulder, my legs and my feet, as well as my left-hand feeling really odd as it had started to swell up. Mentally, I wasn't much better. About five times over those last four miles I was on the edge of tears and I couldn't even explain why. Perhaps it was partly because of the sheer amount of pain I was trying to contain but I think it was my body doing everything it could to overpower the small amount of my brain that was still forcing it to carry on. 

Finally, the finish line came into view. I had dreamed of putting on a burst of speed, perhaps even doing a forward roll over the line but there was no way I had the energy to do anything but just continue putting one foot in front of the other. We crossed the line, I collected my medal and the second there was enough space lay on the floor for some time. 

Shortly after finishing

It's safe to say the trek was really tough. I had never thought it would be easy and was under no illusion of the challenge ahead of me but there's an almighty difference between knowing that it will be hard and feeling just how hard it is. The distance itself wasn't really the issue. If the twenty-six miles had been completely flat on tarmac then it would have been considerably easier. It was the long and/or steep hills combined with about twenty-three of the miles being on gravel or uneven surfaces which really made it hard. The lack of rain over the last week or so meant that I was constantly standing on loose stones or jagged surfaces and the ground was so hard there was little grip.

I am glad though that despite everything I managed to push on and cross that finish line. I know that there's no way I could have done this even six months ago so the hard work I put in training for the trek was worth it. The sense of achievement is beginning to grow as the pain resides, though my right foot hurts from blisters and my legs have no strength in today. 

Of course, the most important thing is that I managed to raise £355 for Alzheimer's Society, with the three of us that did it raising over £1000. This money will go towards supporting people suffering with Alzheimer's and dementia and towards funding research to one day achieve the dream of a treatment for dementia. The pain was worth it for that result. 

Thank you so much if you're one of the people who donated and/or sent me encouraging messages, it really helped and I wouldn't have done it without you. If you haven't donated and wish to, you can give me cash if you see me in person or donate on my JustGiving page. I plan to do very little today!