The idea of a solo attempt to run the whole Isle of Wight Coastal Path has been on my 'list' for a few years, inspired by cycling around the island and many enjoyable holidays over the years. I knew about some sections of the coastal path having been closed due to erosion and official diversions put in place, so I decided to recce the route in advance over two days during June. This went well, the signage for the official diversions is good even though they do add to the distance and elevation! All set and planned a date of 1st August to run the whole route.
I had an early start with my alarm going off at 02:45, drove to Southampton and made the first passenger ferry, and ready to start at West Cowes floating bridge by 06:19! I ran the entire route solo and self-supported using shops on route for topping up water and food supplies. I started with 2.5 litres of water and plenty of food and made use of shops at Yarmouth, Freshwater, St Lawrence, Shanklin and Ryde. Finished at East Cowes floating bridge with a total elapsed time of 13 hours and 6 minutes.
The conditions on the day were warm and sunny with mostly clear views, some muddy ground after a lot of rain the day before, but generally good. Overall I was really pleased with how the run went. I opted for trail trainers which I still think was the right decision overall but my legs were feeling pretty beaten up on the tarmac sections towards the end. An amazing day out and what better way to get to see the island!