Marathon 21: Cornwall — The Camel Trail and Clifftop Battles

We kicked off the second half of the challenge in Cornwall!

It was an unusual week for a few reasons. Our co-conspirator for Cornwall, Nicole, had very sadly broken her foot a few weeks earlier with a stress fracture. Genuinely gutting, because she’d trained incredibly hard for this one and I know how much she wanted to take part. Thankfully, though, she still came out in force to support us, and it was brilliant to finally meet her properly after hearing her powerful contribution to the podcast series. As with everyone we’ve spoken to throughout this challenge, her story really stays with you.

I suspected this might end up being a fairly lonely marathon, but Cornwall had other ideas. Local heroes Andy and Nikki appeared in the car park at the wonderfully named Snail’s Pace Café — unofficial sponsor of the challenge at this point — after spotting posts about the challenge on Facebook and deciding to join in.

Having warned me repeatedly that their pace “wouldn’t be anything special”, they then casually floated to sub-two-hour half marathons down the Camel Trail. I think that may have been a first for both of them, and certainly far quicker than they expected. In fairness, if you’re hunting a PB, a net downhill route through the Cornish countryside probably isn’t a bad place to start!

We also had another unexpected addition in Will, partner of one of Amy’s university friends, who happened to be holidaying in Cornwall at the same time as our visit. He joined for 11 miles from Bodmin through to Padstow, meaning what could have been a very solitary day became anything but. Altogether, I had company for nearly the first 18 miles, which made a huge difference.

The Camel Trail itself was beautiful. Riverside paths, shaded woodland, smooth terrain underfoot and a gentle downhill pull all the way towards Padstow. There was a bit of a headwind at times, but honestly, no complaints about the route.

My legs, however, were another matter entirely. Leeds the previous weekend, mixed with a lot of travel during the week, had clearly caught up with me. By the time I reached Padstow at 18 miles, everything was tightening much earlier than usual. From there, I headed out alone towards Trevone and onto the cliff paths for the final stretch back into Padstow.

It was stunning. Proper postcard Cornwall. But miles 21 to 24 became a real battle — steep climbs, plenty of walking and a lot of mental maths counting down the remaining distance.

Eventually though, as ever, I got back. A cuddle from my little girl at the finish in Padstow Harbour immediately made the whole thing feel worthwhile, followed by an aggressively large pub lunch and the usual incredible support from Amy and our friends afterwards.

Not the easiest day at the office, but another county ticked off — and a very pretty one at that.

Onwards to Devon on Saturday 23rd May.