It's a loop. Saturday 13th April and finishing 8 or so weeks later at Trevaunance Cove, St Agnes, Cornwall with an open homecoming proposed at some point in early June.
I'm planning to run 250 miles of Cornish coastline via the South West Coast Path.
With an additional 36 miles crossing at the Moor via a route known as Smugglers' Way.
The Moor section is intended to be piggybacked on to a planned race event - that also has its own incredibly worthy appointed charity to support.
I'm not a runner, yet. I usually trend towards more waterborne ventures.
This, whilst a subjective challenge, might be considered by some objective lunacy.
It is intended to be inclusive, however I'm sure I'm not the only idiot out there, so...
PLEASE COME AND JOIN ME FOR NONE, SOME, PART, ALL OR ANY OF THE SECTIONS or perhaps just laugh as I limp by - it would be most welcome.
Why?
My sister is young. She was diagnosed with an acute stroke.
Another close friend, Andy, also young, was recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. His and his team's 'Sandbaggers' recent Guiness record breaking challenge for the longest game of touch beach rugby last year has spurred me on.
There are other friends or their close family members who have also tragically succumbed well before their time, in particular the heartfelt recent loss last year of Tris on his 40th birthday.
Unlike this planned series of runs, there is little to no choice in who or why this happens to these lovely people.
So I aim to be as unprepared as is reasonable. In a vague attempt to expect the unexpected, I prepare by being somewhat unaware of what lies ahead.
Please appreciate that I know there's choice here to attempt this, something these dear friends and family have not had.
Neurological illness and its sequelae, along with the wider effect on those caring for and supporting the symptom progression or rehabilitation, remains as having a degree of stigma still associated.
The person and families going through it are the ‘Same Them'.
I do not believe that any illness or deficit defines the person, so any voice reiterating that you are the Same You resonates.
Thank you Emilia and Jenny Clarke, who set up SameYou, as there is such a deficiency in UK's neurorehabilitation for both the seen and unseen effects.
To those friends and acquaintances who perhaps don't know what to say to people and their families going through it, or perhaps feel awkward not knowing what to say, or whether to make contact or not... please just reach out, telephone, screen-time or perhaps even arrange to meet again in person.
There will be a 'WhatsApp group' with a few 'admin' folk set up for tracking with a link to be posted nearer the time. I can't claim it'll be the most interesting of dot watching but it might help those of you who, say, may want to throw things at me on the route round, like mouldy cabbage, cuttlefish and asparagus or maybe the kinder of you might provide a refill of water, or even some food? Or perhaps some spirit lifting running company?.... Come join - it's a spectacular coastline to take in. I hope to remember some of it.
Arguably I should or could just stay in the village, as there are very good pubs there...
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT & ANY DONATIONS FOR THE CHARITIES ARE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED
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