My Brutal Challenge When my best friend’s mum, Susan Northcott, died, I wanted to do something to celebrate this amazing woman’s life and the impact she had on me. Little did I know then, but this would involve me running from the length of the country with all my belongings in a pushchair! Growing up, Susan was a strong role model for me. She was feisty, funny, and I loved her. A few years back, Susan had bought me a book called ‘The Clock Keeps Ticking” by Sharon Gayter. This was about her incredible, record-breaking run from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in a staggering 12 days and 16 hours! Whilst I could never aspire to running the UK in that time, I started to wonder if I could have my own, unique adventure and dedicate it to Susan’s memory.
Once I had decided to take on this epic challenge, I set about making plans. How would I carry my kit? What route would I follow and how I could navigate? My biggest question was where I would sleep? I had decided to do this without any crew as I wanted it to be a real adventure and a life-changing journey. I knew Susan would have approved of that idea too.
Tree of Remembrance
After many weeks of list-making, testing kit, packing and re-packing, I was finally ready. I had decided to start in Scotland, as I liked the idea of travelling down the country. Also, as I live in Christchurch, Dorset, it would feel like coming home. So, at 5am on Sunday, August 16th, in a cold and deserted car park at John o’ Groats, I started my epic run. 12 26
