Tresco Marathon

Could paradise really be just off the coast of Cornwall? I must admit, having seen the price of accommodation and travel expenses to get to Tresco I was a sceptic. In fact, if I'm honest, had it not been for the fact that this was a specially organised run by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, I'd probably have cancelled. Fortunately, I didn't though and I say fortunately because what awaited me on the Isle's of Scilly and in particular marathon day on Tresco, was one of the best experiences ever.

For those who have read my Cape Town blog, this race equaled the Two Oceans, which as you will know is very high praise indeed.

I flew from Southampton ahead of the weekend, to have a look around the Islands and arrived in good time on the largest of the Scilly Isles, St Mary's. It took all of five minutes to transfer to the campsite I'd booked. It took me longer to put up my tent - considerably longer in fact because the ground was rock solid because it hadn't rained for so long.

St Mary's was lovely, very quaint. A place where everybody knows everybody and the pace of life is much more relaxed than on the main land. There is a real sense that the people on the Isle's of Scilly understand what is important in life and in a wonderful and nostalgic way, visiting here is like stepping back in time. I can see why it was a favorite for Winston Churchill and Harrold Wilson.

Race day came around quickly and I found myself early morning stood on the quayside at St Mary's with 50 other runners all heading to Tresco for the marathon. We all squeezed onto the small vessel for the 15 minute journey to Tresco - I should have known it was going to be a great day when the Captain told us the crossing was free for runners. Yet it wasn't until we arrived on the tiny Island, that the full extent of the thought, time and dedication the race organizers had put in hit me.

There are no houses on Tresco and the scenery is breathtaking. As we walked to the main meeting area, we were encouraged to take advantage of the pre-marathon massage - I did and could have quite happily stayed there all day.

It is difficult to put into words the atmosphere on the Island, there were only 124 runners but there was such an amazing buzz - everyone chatting and sharing their stories of CF or other marathons they'd taken part in. The Island is very small, so in order to complete the 26 miles you have to do laps - 7 ½ of them to be precise.

I spent my first two laps running with Ashley Burt, who I'd met on the boat on the way over. Ashley is a caretaker at a school on the mainland and this was his first ever marathon. He was attempting the marathon as a personal challenge. Despite developing two knee injuries during the race and having both legs strapped by the end, he came over the finish line on both feet - congratulations Ashley a great achievement.

The course was a tough one, with four steep hills ranging from an incline of 40 to 100 feet. Having completed the Two Oceans only a couple of weeks before, I wasn't scared of a climb. The killer on this race though, is the 7 ½ laps, which effectively means running 30 steep hills. After the first four that's a real mental challenge.

One of the pleasures of this race though, is that after lap two you're really not sure who is in the lead so you get to chat with runners of completely mixed abilities on your way around. And with relatively few spectators, all the runners were cheering each other on. The camaraderie between participants was amazing and many of those who'd completed their run, hung around at the finish to cheer their followers through the line.

As I took in the scenery, I thought about my colleague, John Compton, also running at the same time in London - we couldn't have been in more different races if we'd been on different sides of the planet - congratulations John who finished in 3hr31.

By lap five, having run 20 hills, my legs were really beginning to feel it and had begun to cramp again. It was about this time that I met up with a great guy called Dan Frost. With two laps to go, I think we were both at the stage where we were grateful to have each other to run with, to spur each other on. We ran the last two laps together and crossed the finish line at 4 hours and 1 minute, putting us in joint 31st place.

Having crossed the finishing line, as is the case with most marathons, I thought we'd all start saying our goodbyes and heading off - but the day had barely begun. Everyone was whisked off to the main hotel and given a room where they could have a hot shower and relax before heading off for a Champaign reception and an awards ceremony.

Bob Brown pictured centre with his winning trophie

The evening was amazing and the meal amongst some of the best food I've ever tasted - I'd run all 30 steep hills again for another plateful of what we were presented with that evening. I had the chance to talk to a lot of people, including Bob Brown, who finished the race in poll position for the third year running in just over 3hrs. For those of you who think I'm mad to be attempting my challenge this year, let me put it into perspective for you. In 2004 Bob ran his way across the entire USA - running two marathons a day for 72 consecutive days - there are only a handful of people in the world who can claim an achievement like this - and do you know what else, he told me he loved every second of it. By all accounts there is no other way to see the States - I guess I'll have to take his word on that!

As the evening progressed, everyone was invited onto the stage to be presented with their medal by the Chief Executive for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Rosemary Barns. Rosemary gave a very moving speech thanking everyone for their efforts and explaining that every penny raised gave so many hope for the future.

And that is ultimately my goal this year - to raise as much as possible and to offer hope to as many as possible - so if you haven't already, please sponsor me.