It’s the evening of March 31, and I’m about to finish Rotary Coastal Quest 630.
I’ve completed 620 miles around the southwest peninsular of England and tomorrow, if everything goes to plan, I’ll finish off the final 10 miles. I must admit, though, two weeks ago I didn’t think this day would come. I had completed 300 miles around the north coast of Devon and Cornwall and Kurt Kowalchuk, president of the Rotary Club of Calgary Sarcee, had joined me on the run.
That morning we were crossing the beach at Porthallow to look at the halfway marker when I bashed my left shin on a boulder. I didn’t think too much of it, but the next day it started to ache. The day after the muscle was inflamed and the repetitive strain injury I had had in 2010 was back. I tried to run, but it was no good, and that night it was time to get acquainted with an old friend, frozen peas.
Every night we were picked up by Rotarian hosts and taken back to their place. Rotarian David Laud had organized this and he made sure they knew about my medical needs. During the trip, I talked at a number of Rotary clubs, including Minehead, Bude, Brauton Caen, Bideford, Launcetown, Wadebridge, Perranzabuloe, St. Ives Bay, Plympton, Plymouth and Torbay.
They call this route the South West Coast Path, however, I must question the name. To me a “path” is two people wide with gravel and rolls up and down hills. What I came across was more like a goat track. The route would head up a cliff, sometimes with steps, then straight down the other side through brambles and large mud puddles. Daily mileage ranged from 20 to 31 miles and, instead of the planned seven hours a day, I was on the trail for nine to 11 hours.
My shin slowly improved, but because I compensated for the injury my left knee and hamstring started to seize up. This situation wasn’t helped with the large number of diversions I came across. The cliffs had been hammered by the winter storms and, particularly along the Dorset coast, rerouting was the norm.
One day left and 10 miles to go. My cocktail of Advil, Tylenol and Voltarol seems to be working so hopefully the leg will hold together for the final push to South Haven Point.
To support Rotary Coastal Quest 630 please go to righttoplay.com/rcq630.
