Lynette takes on London 2 Brighton

In May 2017 I took part in the MoonWalk London for the very first time and loved every minute of it, so much so, that I needed to find another challenge, something a little more demanding. There it is I have found it on the WTW website, London 2 Brighton.

Reading through the information I discover there are several options to this challenge. The first being to do it over 2 days, (I know I would be able to that, it’s not a hard enough challenge). The second option is to do it in one go, 100km (62miles) … now there’s a challenge, after all it’s only an inch on a map as I keep telling all my friends. Funny enough though none of them were willing to join me, they all thought that I was bonkers!

I won’t bore you too much as to how my training went, only to say, it had its ups and downs and I encountered a meltdown along the way... you certainly need to believe in yourself that’s for sure. That’s when I made a phone call to the WTW support team. They are brilliant absolutely brilliant, I cannot praise them enough for their encouragement.

Our start time on the day is 7.30am, it’s cold and drizzling and we have fleeces on. By 10am the sun is trying to come out, by 12 noon it is 26 degrees... I am changing socks at every stop.

At the halfway point my family are there to support and encourage me. I have a massage and yet more to eat... I can’t tell you how many chocolate Freddos I ate on the day, and as the sun is going down I set off again.

As it is starting to get dark there is the most spectacular thunderstorm, so now we are all getting wet, and it’s at this stage that we encounter the mud!!! 3 inches of mud in the dark through a forest for around 7 miles. That was tough, really tough but, it was nothing compared to ‘That Hill’!!! That hill at 3.45 in the morning when you are tired and for me, this came at my lowest point of the walk, well it was cruel!!! But, boy oh boy when you reach the top and the sun is rising... what a view. I just stood there for a few minutes taking it all in. Breathtaking.

And then finally the finish line is in sight, what a feeling, I’ve made it, I have actually made it, 100km. So at 6.30am on the Sunday morning I cross the finish line, 23 hours after I started.

I have walked through the suburbs of London, across meadows, through farm yards and over hills. I met and walked with so many different people and chatted along the way, every one of us doing this challenge for our own personal reasons, I just hope they all made it. My reason for this challenge? To push myself both mentally and physically whilst at the same time, raising money for such a good cause.

One of the happiest memories of the day and one that still makes me smile (apart from crossing the finishing line), is the WTW L2B support team. I will never forget the very first check in point, I could actually hear them before I could see them. You really are a boost to everyone’s morale. High fives and hugging us all as we walked through your arch, even hugging us at the finish line... we must of smelt delightful by then!

So if you are not sure if this challenge is for you, I would say... go on give it a go, push yourself, you will never know if you can do it unless you try, the atmosphere carries you along some of the way. And, if I can do it for the very first time at the age of 56 then so can you.

The burning question... would I do it again?... YOU BET... but I need to do a couple of other challenges first and one of them involves the snow and cold, and I don’t like being cold, plus I would have to learn to ski. But, then if something is easy to do it’s not a challenge.

If you're feeling inspired by Lynette's story, why not join the Walk the Walk London 2 Brighton 2019 team... Entries are open now!