Marathon 37: Huntingdonshire — The Marathon Journey That Started With a Wedding

Week 37 took us to Huntingdonshire — a county that, despite featuring on our list from the very beginning, several people have spent the last 36 weeks insisting doesn't actually exist. Well, I can now confirm that it does.

More importantly, this week was all about Jordan and his family.

I had a huge amount of admiration for Jordan before we started, having heard him talk so openly and honestly about the devastating loss of his daughter, Orlaith. He shared that story on the podcast this week, speaking incredibly bravely and eloquently about something that no parent should ever have to go through.

But there was another part of Jordan's story that made this week's run particularly special. At a wedding last year, Jordan decided — somewhat spontaneously — to sign up to take on a marathon as part of the challenge. The small detail being that he'd never really run before. In fact, by his own admission, he was probably about as far from a natural runner as you could get.vWe had a huge number of messages this week from people who had been inspired by Jordan's story and his efforts, and I can completely understand why.

As for the run itself, we set off early doors in St Neots, with just Jordan and me for the first stint. He managed the first nine miles with us — by far the longest distance he'd ever run — and it was a brilliant effort.

That wasn't quite the end of Jordan's running for the day either. He rejoined us later on for another five miles or so, meaning there was plenty more to come from him.

At the end of that first section, we were met by Jordan's parents and his brother, Aaron, who then joined us for the remaining 17 miles. Aaron hadn't done much running recently either, so to pick things up and run 17 miles more or less on the spot was another seriously impressive effort.

From St Neots, the route took us largely along the river, through Huntingdon and on towards Godmanchester before turning towards St Ives and eventually the finish at Earith.

For me, it was a very familiar landscape. I'm a Fen boy myself, so the flat, open countryside and endless waterways felt very much like home. There were certainly no hills to worry about this week, but that didn't mean it was completely straightforward.

The hard ground was cracked and rutted in places, and the final few miles in particular required plenty of concentration. The riverbank had some enormous cracks in it, and with only a couple of runs left, the last thing we needed was a broken ankle. Thankfully, we managed to navigate them safely.

We were joined on and off by plenty of other people throughout the day, including Liam and Alex, who picked us up around Godmanchester and came armed with some excellent pastries. My mum also appeared, as she so often does, with supplies — including what might genuinely have been one of the best sausage rolls I've ever eaten. Regular followers will know that the sausage roll is very much my snack of choice.

She did, however, lose a few points for bringing Cherry Coke rather than normal Coke. We'll let her off this time.

The route carried us along the river, through the centre of St Ives and out towards the final stretch. The weather was kind to us too. The recent shift towards autumn was noticeable, although whenever the sun came out and the wind dropped, there were still moments that felt very much like summer.

The support was, as ever, fantastic. Jordan's family and friends were out in force, with his nephew Lexi joining us for parts of the run, while my parents were there once again to provide support along the way.

And then, after 26.2 miles, we made it to the finish line along the Old Bedford River at Earith, where we managed a sprint finish to bring another county to a close.

Another marathon distance. Another county ticked off.

And another week where the people around us made the whole thing possible.

A huge hats off to Jordan. What he has achieved since deciding to take on this challenge is genuinely impressive, but the reason behind it makes it all the more meaningful. To take on something completely outside his comfort zone and keep putting one foot in front of the other in memory of Orlaith says a huge amount about him.

And the fundraising continues to grow too. 

Jordan raised nearly £2.5k, and this week we smashed through the £70,000 barrier as a team, and edging closer to £76,000 raised for Tommy's.

With only two marathons left to go, the finish is starting to feel very real now. Two more counties. And then, somehow, we'll have done all 39.

But that's a story for 2 weeks time.

For now, Huntingdonshire exists. And Jordan was brilliant.