Day 2 Walk for AnaBella 2021 | 28 Marathons in 28 Days

Date: 22/05/2021

Locations: Steeple, Wareham to Portland

Distance: 47.81km

Cumulative Total: 89.96km

Accommodation: Nearly Wild Camping, Portland

After a reasonably comfortable night’s sleep, I made a reasonably early start to my second marathon in a row.

What I soon learnt with my tent, that whilst light there wasn’t much to be done in it apart from sleep.

The days run was to take me through Lulworth ranges an active military training site on the Dorset coast and the reason I was unable to start my challenge on 19/05 (The day AnaBella passed over) as it was only open to the public over the weekend.

The weather was definitely on the calmer side and for that, I was grateful, the terrain on the other hand…

I soon realised that the ups and downs I had experienced yesterday were standard when it came to the path, I also began to realise ‘path’ was a very loose term for what I was running on. At one point having to literally climb down the cliff face onto the beach at Lulworth Cove. The inclines were so severe this was declared my first Ben Nevis day where my total Elevation gain was recorded as 1,348 metres: Ben Nevis is only 1,345 m high.

What was also apparent was I wasn’t the only one running today.

I had seen race markers yesterday but had presumed they were leftover from an earlier race. I hadn’t counted on it happening today and that I would soon have to share the path with hundreds of other runners.

I started spotting them around Lulworth and then as I ascended to Durdledoor I was surrounded by them: Sprightly young things with just practical (and light) running backpacks. All passing me by competing in an event called the Jurassic Challenge.

However, this did come with unexpected benefits: all of a sudden I was part of a race and there was a camaraderie between contestants and because of my gear and the fact I was running everyone thought me to be one of these. Whilst passing by runners would offer me words of encouragement and when running past spectators they would cheer me on.

The realisation of not being the only one is important when going through a traumatic experience such as losing your baby, knowing there are other people who have gone through similar and who can begin to understand what you are feeling can provide vital support. None of us shares the exact same story but there are enough similarities that we can relate.

I eventually split from the runners as my route took me down to the Isle of Portland where I was camping for the evening. After running along the long stretch that connects the Isle to the mainland I have never been so happy to see a Lidl sign where I got some much-needed refreshments.

This was the first time I hadn’t checked my route properly and I ended up finishing the marathon distance at a large prison complex. Reading my planned schedule I tried to find the campsite on Google maps and couldn’t. It wasn’t until I called the campsite I realised I had put the wrong finish marker on my route and I was on the wrong side of the island.

A couple of miles is normally nothing, but after already running 26.2 miles and climbing ‘Ben Nevis’ it was considerably harder

The death of a child is a hugely traumatic experience it takes its toll both physically and mentally. There is a tendency in the western world to try and return to ‘normal’ life as soon as possible: however we need to be careful, we need to be kind to ourselves we need to give ourselves permission to grieve. Tasks that were previously simple can become a lot harder and cause more stress after a traumatic experience.

So I ended up running an extra 5km to my campsite.

My campsite for the evening was called ‘Nearly Wild Camping’ and this proved an apt description with no showers and just a compost toilet but it was a safe place to pitch up which was important to me. My one experience of Wild Camping prior to taking on this challenge told me it wasn’t for me if I wanted a peaceful nights sleep.

Whilst googling how to deal with a blister whilst running and John Ramboing one with a penknife I met a group of climbers returning to the campsite.

These guys were the first to remind me of the kindness of strangers and taught me the lesson to accept any kindness offered which really set the tone for the rest of my journey.

Inviting me to their camp warming me up with a homecooked chilli, cake and a beer and sending me on my way with Snicker bars and blister plasters it turned out to be an evening far removed from heating up a dehydrated meal on my little camping stove.