What an incredible journey! What a beautiful way to explore London in a total different way - moving through all of the 32 boroughs of Greater London and experiencing the sights and sounds of each - especially the nature part :)
This journey was part of a challenge the Run Forest Run team took up. We called it the "300 Expansion Challenge" in aid of a charity very close to my heart - Joint Aid Management (JAM). The challenge was simple - get as many people as possible to run the furthest they have ever ran before, thereby expanding their own horizons, but also raising funds in aid of JAM and their #zerohunger campaign. We have already smashed our goal as a team to raise £40,000 and it is an incredible testimony of how the team really bought into the vision. Where other people in the Run Forest Run team took on distances between 10-100km, I needed to challenge myself as well. The furthest I ever ran before this London Peaks, was 206km along the Northdowns Way 3 years ago, so this was definitely out there from an "expansion" and challenge perspective.
I was blessed with an amazing crew who supported me in this crazy adventure doing everything necessary to keep me going. We started the journey in Biggin Hill (Kent) on Thursday (1 July) at 15:00 and slowly travelled clockwise. The weather made things very interesting at points, including a very hot afternoon on Friday (2 July) - I needed to reassess my approach during those hours. Then we also had rain in stints, but that cooled it down nicely for us. Overall, we were blessed with overcast weather and nothing too extreme.
I struggled with keeping food down between 115-200km after eating something that didn't agree with my system, and after that it was really a problem solving exercise all the way through to ensure I get the necessary calories in and keep going. This slowed the pace right down, but giving up was definitely not an option.
What made this run extra special (in addition to all the funds raised for JAM) was the fact that I could do this in celebration of my dad's life. He passed away after an extended cancer battle just 4 days before my run.
The finish line was special - with so many friends and all the Run Forest Run runners and supporters waiting in Biggin Hill at one of the local schools. Not something I was expecting. Not something I will be able to forget. Very very special...