Woke up bright and early at 4am (staying nearby in Henlade), before making my way to Nether Stowey to start the trail from the cottage at 5am. I was well supported by my close friend and fellow runner Dalton Barham, luckily providing me with three pit stops along the way. Tough going up the first hill, and the dewy morning meant I quickly soaked through my trainers. Stunning views over towards the sea. I waved my fellow Runner Matthew John Spoor off about 3 minutes into the run- not to be seen again until the end of the day.
Felt good after the first 20km, and had my first pit stop at Sanford Brett. Tucked into some jelly babies and brioche, and refilled my water. The heat was picking up (24 degrees with not a cloud in the sky).
Next 20k was tough going, with lots of muddy sections and streams on the path. Reached Heath Poult Cross- continued with some energy bars and brioche, and refilled water again after running dry. Some lovely descents down. On to the next stop at Higher Doverhay.
Some final climbing, before a few steep descents down towards Lynmouth. Knees destroyed by this point, and nursing multiple blisters. Further stunning views. Started having some gels to give me that final boost. Lovely last few K alongside a river in the shade, small detour for a landslide, before finally making it into Lynmouth. Recording on my Wahoo bolt- this had some GPS errors. I used Strava correction which seemed to over estimate the distance at 86km. But this gave me a final time of 13 Hrs 45. All in all a fun day out- type 2 fun. Shout out to Dalton and Matt for never ending support- couldn’t have done it without you kids.