Worlds Longest Barefoot Walk

 On July 3rd 2022, I walked up to the sign post at lands end . . . A world record holder! 

Let’s rewind back to November 2021. After many years of struggling I had finally had enough, my mental health was its worst and I felt like I had no options, but one. Standing there on the bridge, all the noise, all the struggle, was suddenly gone. The dead silence of night was only filled by my heart beat pounding, my breath hyperventilating and the tears flooding down my face. The strangest of thoughts entered my mind “check your pockets” a voice said. So I did, no phone, no keys, something small, a coin, a 10p coin. I took the coin out and decided that I would leave it to fate, to god to decide and I flipped. 

Well as you can tell by reading this story it landed on the right side, I felt as though god had answered me. I stepped down, went home, but I know I needed help. 

I spoke to family, friends & went to counselling, which helped but there was still something more I felt I needed to do. So I came up with a challenge, something that would take me out of my comfort zone. Something that would take me away from all the distractions of life and give me to opportunity to go to war once and for all with myself. You see up until that point I’d always ran, hidden from the worst parts of me. Not anymore. 

1350 Miles, 52 marathons, 52 days from John o’Groats to lands end, completely alone and unsupported. Just me and my tent. Oh and no shoes . . . Completely barefoot! 

Training began, the support was amazing and I had never been more locked in. You hear people say a lot “I’ll die before I quit” for most this is just a saying. For me, I made a deal with myself and god that I would succeed or I WOULD die trying. I would bleed, I would crawl if I had to, if it took me 52 days or 5 years. I would not stop, there was too much at stake for me to fail. 

May The 4th Be With You. Day 1. I arrived at the start line early, not a person in sight, a beautiful sun rise and the path in-front of me. I took my shoes off, said goodbye off I went. Perfect conditions for my first day, well for the first 17miles. Then Scotland shew me her fury, a storm battered the coast line and me with it. I climbed over a fence to head for cover and disaster happened, I felt my foot go numb and looked down to see blood everywhere. I had sliced my foot open. I hobbled to an abandoned castle ruin on the edge of the cliff to take shelter and asses the damage. I remember feeling like I was in one of those great adventure stories as I waited out the storm and it was at that point I knew I was in for some pretty serious suffering for next few weeks. Hell had arrived and it was my time to fight it. 

Lost But Found. Day 8. I had managed to hit my daily targets, day by day, I suffered my way through the highlands. One thing I hadn’t accounted for was how cold I would get so I decided to make a diversion, I would shorten my route in Scotland and add the miles on down south where it would be warmer. I decided to take a shortcut through the Cairngorms. I got lost. My body was at its weakest, low on food, drinking water from streams, feet covered in blood and dirt, no battery power or signal. I was in a bad way and for the first time on this challenge, I got out my tent in the middle of the day (something I said I wouldn’t do) got in it, cried my eyes out and for a moment, I considered giving up. My body was so sore, so tired, I could barely move. But then, I don’t know how or why, something sat me up. No, something pulled me up. “One step at a time Nathan, just one more step”. So I did, I carried on, it had been raining non stop for past 3 days. I came to the top of one of the peaks and saw down below a road! I smiled, I had found my way. I got a crazy feeling like I had already completed the challenge and with that, the rain stopped and In the distance I saw the sun. I wanted to write about that moment because although the next few weeks were very difficult, that was the moment I completed the challenge. 

Lands End. My Body was strong, my mind stronger, my feet Invincible. I had gone to war with myself and won. The final day was a moment in my life that I’ll always remember, it was the day that Nathan Dunne, the failure, the guy who had no self worth, became a winner, became someone who had finally learnt to show himself some love, to realise his own worth. 

I walked across that finish line, friends and family all there cheering me on, a new man. It was just the start. 

Thank-you to every single person who supported and helped me along the way. What an adventure!