The finish line at last

Team Gould completed Trailwalker 2012 in 25 hours and 38 minutes. Unfortunately Linz had to pull out at checkpoint 7 but the rest of us pushed on into the darkness, rain and fog and we reached the finish line at 07.38 on Sunday morning. The recent rain meant much of the route was difficult to negotiate due to mud and early reports appear to indicate that up to 35% of those who started pulled out. Special thanks to Dave and Andy for their fantastic support over the weekend; they barely had a moment to rest between checkpoints and we couldn't have done this without them.

8 days to go

With only 8 days to go the team is starting to get a little nervous about next weekend's stroll! We met up in the pub earlier in the week to discuss plans for the big event and it's all starting to feel very real now. The last six months have gone by in a blur but I'm confident that our training will pay off and that team work will see us through the tough periods. I'm sure that preparations for our trip will keep us all busy for the next week so I want to say a huge thanks now to everyone who has donated to us and to anyone who has supported us in any way. Thanks to our support crew leader Dave for driving us around, bringing us hot food in the rain and waterproofing our gear, and thanks in advance to him and Andy for agreeing to feed, water and console us in the long hours to come next weekend. And finally a special thanks to my team mates Mum, Linz and James for helping make the long hours of training, many of them arduous and soggy, such fun. Good luck guys!

Preparing for the big day

I've calculated that by the time I've completed Trailwalker I'll have walked 1000 miles since the 9th of January this year. With this in mind I think I'm going to treat myself to an extra chocolate bar today and maybe my Friday evening G&T will have to be a large one tonight. Following Oxfam's advise we are reducing the length of our training walk this weekend and plan to cover an easy 12 miles instead of the usual 20+ so I might just have enough time on Sunday to make my first roast of the year.

19 days to go - bring it on!!

The team walked 25 miles through Tehidy Woods and along the North Cliff coast path on Saturday and fortunately Lindsey's new exercises appear to be helping with her hip pain. We encountered a number of exhausted runners who were undertaking a 100 mile run from Porthleven to Newquay (some of them battered and bloodied) and found it hugely encouraging to realise that there are people out there who are more insane than us! Linz enjoyed a day off yesterday while James, Mum and I set off at 8am again to attempt the same route for a second time and the rain which started at the end of Saturday's walk cleared minutes before we started. James' feet were suffering from Saturday's walk so he left us at Hayle in the hope of scrounging a roast lunch from a nearby friend and Mum and I pushed on for Godrevy Point just as the sun made an appearance. We made it back to Camborne at a little before 16.30, beating the previous day's time by 15 minutes, and while we were both tired and sunburned our muscles have recovered already from the weekend's exertions.
With less than three weeks to go we're trying to find the time to squeeze in a pub meeting with our support crew and a night walk across the dunes at Gwithian and through Tehidy Woods before the big day.

Breaking News

One of Mum's big toe nails has fallen off this morning! Really thought mine would be the first to go as it's been black and lumpy for months now but she beat me to it. It's still debatable who would win the prize for the ugliest feet though

Pendeen Watch to Lamorna Cove

All four team members were available for training yesterday and support crew leader Dave dropped us at Pendeen Watch at 08.45. After four very wet walks we were relieved to see the sun for a change and were in good spirits as we began the 20 mile walk to Lamorna Cove. Mum and I have done this walk before and know how tiring some of the climbs on the last section can be so we weren't surprised when Linz began to struggle after the steep climb down to the beach at Porthcurno. She managed to push on through the pain with the help of painkillers and Kendal mint cake (chocolate covered, yum!) and we reached Lamorna Cove just after 18.00.

With less than four weeks to go until the big day now I think we will struggle to make my target of 24 hours but after Lindsey's problems yesterday I realise that the whole point of the exercise is to get through the challenge as a team so if it takes 30 hours then so be it! As long as the four of us cross the finish line together I'll be happy. With this in mind we're stepping up our training in the final weeks and will be walking home from the office on Tuesday and Thursday this week and doing two 25 miles walks over the weekend.

Marazion to Lizard Point

James was in London visiting friends this weekend and Linz was working so it was just me and Mum yesterday. We left Marazion at a little after 08.30 and while the weather forecast had looked bad we only felt a few spots of rain for the first hour or so. The rain became more persistent as we left Porthleven and looking back over our shoulders crossing Loe Bar we could see that the sky had darkened considerably. By the time we reached Mullion Cove we were drenched through and passed several equally wet and miserable looking walkers coming from the opposite direction. Matters got worse when we encountered thick fog at Predannack Head and we had to rely on the sat nav app on my iPhone (snugly secured in its Aquapac!) to keep us on the right path. We got a little disoriented near Kynance Cove and then had to negotiate a very steep and slippery path down onto the beach so I was rather surprised to reach Lizard Point in one piece (if a little bedraggled and muddy) just after 18.00.