I decided to run around the beautiful island of Barbados whilst I was on holiday there. I thought about it on last years visit but I wasn’t properly prepared with all the support equipment so this year I bought essential supplies that would be needed throughout the challenge.
I set off from my hotel in Hole Town (Coral Reef Club) at 11am (as I wanted to see the beauty of the island rather than running throughout the night that would be slightly cooler) and I headed north in a clockwise direction. It was hot, humid and hilly as you would expect from a tropical island in the Caribbean. The initial route took me up the swanky and affluent West Coast of Barbados with the beautiful houses and tranquil seas to the remote farming area and quiet roads of St Lucy in north where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. From then the route heads south along the rugged coast line of Bathsheba and the East Coast. The route so far was all in daylight with my husband Matthew in full support mode in our pick up truck.
Things I didn’t expect were relentless steep hills, potholed and uneven roads which destroyed my Nike AlphaFly 3’s!
From then darkness came as I headed from the most Easterly point of Barbados, Ragged Point. Then the route took me towards Grantley Adams International airport with head torch, hi vis gear, flashing blinky lights as it was now pitch black so extra care was needed over the uneven road surfaces. I’d been warned about aggressive stray dogs, thankfully they were all very well behaved and posed no issue. In the towns and villages there are some footpaths but they are sporadic and uneven so I spent a lot of time running in the road.
It was great to reach the bustling South Coast starting with Freights Bay and running alongside the waters edge passing through Worthing Beach, Oistins, Welches and Maxwell Beach and then through St Lawrence Gap which was full of lively bars and lively customers on route to the nation’s capital, Bridgetown.
It was around Mile 50 I started to feel very sick after being flambéd by the Bajan sunshine and running all day. I have never seen Bridgetown as quiet and it was a joy to run though and seeing all the fantastic landmarks without the traffic, it was deserted.
Having left Bridgetown it was time to join the familiar Highway 1 North for 7 miles which was also completely empty and a joy to run on as I headed back towards my start point and I felt the end of this gruelling personal adventure was in sight.
I crossed my imaginary finish line at the entrance of the exclusive Coral Reef Club Hotel to an impromptu and wonderful reception at 48 minutes past midnight, some 13 hours 39 minutes 38 seconds after I started.
I cannot imagine doing this unsupported and I was so thankful that my legendary crew chief and husband was there to keep me fueled, hydrated, encouraged and safe.
In summary, this challenge was way harder than I had imagined and I would give it a difficulty rating of 8/10.
Delighted to be able to submit my claim to a new Supported FKT (in both the men’s and women’s category) around the 65 miles of the island of Barbados.