50km Ultra-marathon for the Cornish Air Ambulance

On the 21st of October, my dad’s birthday, I set up this fundraiser in the hope of accomplishing my goal of running a marathon by the end of 2024 and trying to play a part in supporting the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

I set the goal of running 50km because I believed it to be a challenge.

The aim was to do most of the running solo without a support team.

After shuffling the date of the run around to accommodate for the weather and everything else. I set off on the morning of the of the 30th of December 2024 from my home with about 2 and a half months of preparation, a banana and a bottle of water.

5 miles in, I hit the beach and began the journey of contouring the coast and following the coast path. At this point my feet really kicked in, as blisters were going to become apparent.

10 miles in and about 2 hours of running, I realised that my previous decision was going to be costly as I had eaten all my food and began to run out of water. Unable to get any support, I had to find some water. I went to every toilet and cafe, but at the time of 8 in the morning, nothing seemed to be open. After checking cove to cove, I finally found one of the many water spots I went to on my run down in the good old toilets of Mullion Cove.

Despite finding water, I started to feel the fatigue in my legs, as I struggled to cope with the up and down, twisty, wet and uneven terrain of the coast path.

At one point, I slipped, when descending a pretty steep hill. This really messed up my ankle and I felt a sharp burning pain in the soles of my feet. This was probably the hardest point for me mentally, as I didn’t believe the pain in my feet would improve. I found myself conflicted with the idea of giving up or succeeding, especially knowing I wasn’t even halfway through.

Upon reaching the boggy and flooded plateau of Kynance Farms, 14 miles in, my headphones died. Which, to be honest dampened my morale a bit.

After using my phone to find the closest place to grab some food, I came across Kynance Cove Cafe. After a few wrong turns and my body beginning to struggle with the lack of energy, I made it to the cafe. I bought a pasty and they were kind enough to offer to fill up my bottle of water. This was probably the happiest I’ve ever been to be eating and arguably one of the best pasties I’ve ever had.

Furthermore, I followed the Coast Path up past the Lizard Point and onto the Eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula.

This is where the rain which had been pouring pretty much all day started to play its role. The path towards Cadgwith, I found to be practically unrunable as I struggled to find any grip in the mud. My shoes really lacked the off-roading qualities I needed, I ended up scrambling up the slopes. Sometimes even having to use my hands to grapple on to something. The mud seemed to go on forever, I did struggle with not being abled to maintain a steady pace.

26 miles in, and I managed to get a hold of my dad using the limited mobile signal I could get around the coast. He was able to bring a bit of food and water. Without it, I doubt I ever would have ever been able to make it to the end.

The last 5 miles, I headed inland from Kennack Sands following mostly road with my dad behind me as the light started to fade and it got colder. Following the roads allowed me to maintain a solid consistent pace which was a nice change.

Running 50 kilometres or 31 miles along the coast path really took a toll on me and took me quite a few days to recover fully. I’m just thankful to have not injured myself. I’m happy to have finished and to be honest, I don’t know if I will ever do anything like it again. I did ask myself at times whose idea it was to run 50km. It was by far my most demanding mentally and physically challenge as of yet, with a total time of 7 hours and 40 minutes. Finishing with drenched shoes and mud halfway up my legs. Absolutely chuffed to bits with the result. But yeah, if I ever do decide to do anything like this again, I’ll make sure to bring more than just a banana.

Thank you to everyone who kindly donated to the cause.

In September 2009 my Dad was involved in a near fatal cycle race accident. As a result of the accident he had a head injury and eleven broken bones, including five vertebrae in his neck and back. He was unconscious for a considerable amount of time and due to his life threatening injuries he was flown by Cornwall Air Ambulance to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in order to be able to stabilise him. Fortunately, due to the swift response by the Air Ambulance Dad survived, was stabilised and the following day he was transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where he was treated for a number of weeks. The Air Ambulance saved my Dad’s life.

In Cornwall, it takes 12 minutes on average for the Air Ambulance to reach a patient. If someone has sustained a category 1 injury, they require immediate attention. The Cornwall Air Ambulance does not receive any Government funding and relies solely on charitable donations. The Air Ambulance could save your life or one of your loved ones.

Therefore please can you support me in my venture.

Where?

Penrose to Porthallow along the coast path

When?

30th of December 2024