Stage 1: Vicky Hogg – John O’Groats to Lands End

Vicky Hogg, 35 from Doncaster, started her challenge of running the entire length of the country on the 23^rd of May, leaving John O’Groats – the most Northern point of Scotland. Over the next 30 days, Vicky will battle against the terrain, the weather conditions and her mind and body to cover the 900-mile journey to Lands’ End in Cornwall. Vicky is an ambassador for 361 Europe, who are supporting her during her challenge with trainers and apparel to keep her running. 

Vicky Hogg – Weekly Update

Aiming for 30 miles a day, Vicky will be providing us with updates every week so we can follow her journey. Here, Vicky tells us how week 1 went: 

“I started my journey with the most awful of weather conditions. We started the evening before the ‘official’ start, as the weather forecast predicted huge storms with wind and hail, and I wanted to get some miles in the bank to avoid the worst of the horrendous conditions. I managed to get through 14 miles in the evening, and then 19 miles on Day 1 so we started with 2 miles ‘in the bank’ despite the weather conditions. The wind and the rain were battering me all day from my right, so my whole side was stiff from tensing and pushing against the wind. 

The plan was to take on Scotland at the beginning of the journey to get most of the hills out the way, but the scenery is so stunning. We managed to conquer 33 miles on day 2 over some huge hills with some incredibly technical sections where I literally could not run, and had to deal with a really cold start to the day. 

Day 3 was another 30 miles ticked off, this time finishing up alongside the edge of Loch Shin. Another cracking day on the road, with a bit of pain on the first few miles that eased with the help of my friend Taz. A big boost today was a huge pack of Yorkshire Tea which arrived and will help get us through the next month! I booked the campsite for day 3 over the phone, and rocked up to find out there were no showers and toilets. It turns out that the old lady who took our booking has Dementia and can’t remember that she no longer runs the facility and that there are no toilets or showers. Ironic given that this entire challenge is done with the aim of raising money and awareness for Dementia UK. 

The start of day 4 was a mega challenge as my knee felt rubbish when I woke up. I had to start the day walking, but managed to get into a rhythm until we hit the hills again. Hoping for a sports massage in the next few days to ease things a bit! 

So happy that the weather has turned around and we’re not battling the wind, hail and rain anymore. Thanks to everyone for the donations and support as always – stay tuned for the next update next week! 

Vicky has a JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vicky-hogg6