Time for Kathy to walk the talk - or rather to run it!
The Trafalgar Way extends 271 miles from Falmouth to London. It's the heritage coaching route travelled by the Trafalgar Messenger Lt John Richards Lapenotiere in November 1805. Lapenotiere had the advantage of a comfy carriage and four horses to pull him along, changing them for fresh ones every 10 to 15 miles on his way. I'll just have my own two legs!
The original journey took under 38 hours. I'll be covering the distance of The Trafalgar Way 'virtually' over the course of the year, in multiple stages, run in many different locations, near my home in Salisbury, or elsewhere around the UK. To make it even more challenging, my plan is to match each of the stages covered by Lapenotiere between coaching inns within a single week, and to do it in the correct order. The shortest week's running is 7 miles (Staines to Hounslow stage), the longest is 18.625 miles (Launceston to Okehampton stage). The very first week I'll cover 12.375 miles (Falmouth to Truro).
That's 23 stages/weeks of running (including a virtual break at Jamaica Inn, which wasn't an official coach change), ranging from 7 miles to 18.625 - almost equivalent to one every two weeks of the year!
Do you think I can do it? Will you sponsor me and my legs? It will take me the best part of the year to complete this distance. Every little bit of sponsorship will be incredibly welcome and will motivate me to achieve my goal.
The challenge begins on November 4th 2021 and I will be providing photos and updates to record my progress, including the 'virtual map' of my progress at End to End Run.
Fancy taking part instead? You can register here. Every entry fee of £29.99 helps support The 1805 Club and the Sea Cadets. There is no obligation for entrants to raise money for charity, you can just enter and track your progress, whether you are a walker, runner or wheelchair user!
