Marathon 19: Hills, Heat, Herefordshire

Another Sunday this week, and after the scale and spectacle of London seven days earlier, Herefordshire felt like a completely different world.

Thankfully, it was also a reasonably local one. Just over an hour in the car to get to the start — a novelty after the amount of travelling we’ve been doing recently. That isn’t changing anytime soon, so we made the most of it while we could.

It had been a tired week heading into the run. London wasn’t just a marathon; it was a full-day event. Lots of standing around beforehand, plenty afterwards, carrying Poppy around on my shoulders, soaking up the atmosphere, then the long drive home and a late finish. Throw in a work trip midweek and it all just accumulated into that general fatigue that starts to creep in when you’re 19 weeks deep into something like this.

There was definitely the potential for this week to feel like a bit of an anticlimax after London. But actually, it turned out to be one of the nicest contrasts we’ve had all year. A complete change of pace and a reminder of what these weekends are often really about: good people, beautiful scenery, and long conversations in the countryside.

Ryan and Kathy travelled down together from North Shropshire and kindly picked me up on the way, although we nearly got off to a bad start when I realised I’d forgotten my watch. And as we all know by now — if it doesn’t end up on Strava, it never happened.

By the time we arrived in Hereford, the weather had turned from grey and threatening rain to glorious sunshine. We were unofficially started by local legend Arthur Knight, who we bumped into in the park before setting off and who quickly took an interest in the challenge.

From there, we headed south along the river before quickly moving into open countryside. The first few miles were relatively gentle, but after leaving the valley, the hills arrived properly. Over 600 metres of elevation by the end of the day, with barely a flat stretch once we got going. We were either climbing, descending, or recovering from whichever climb had just happened.

But it made for an absolutely brilliant route. Herefordshire is stunning — rolling green hills, forests, fields, quiet lanes and incredible views throughout. Huge credit to Kathy for planning such a memorable course in an area none of us knew particularly well.

Ryan battled gamely until 14 miles before bowing out at The Plough in Little Dewchurch, where we were joined by Faye and Naomi for the second half of the run. Whether Ryan’s decision was entirely down to the hills or partly influenced by the sight of a cold pint of Carlsberg waiting nearby remains unclear.

The second half got tougher still. Kathy's knee was causing her real problems, and my legs were beginning to complain after the constant climbing and uneven terrain. But with fresh company alongside us, we dug in and got it done.

A completely different experience to London, but a brilliant reminder of what makes this challenge so special: different places, different people, one shared purpose.

Next week we take on West Yorkshire with the Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon, marking the challenge's half way point!