An architectural technologist from multi-disciplinary design practice, rg+p Ltd has run the length of the UK, completing an epic charity fundraiser.
In just 27 days, Taylor Baston ran an 873 mile route from John O’Groats to Land’s End, raising over £6,500 for the British Heart Foundation.
Averaging 32 miles per day, Taylor’s route followed the coast to Inverness, around the Cairngorns, Edinburgh and down to Carlisle. Once into England, he ran through Kendal, Wigan, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Gloucester, Bristol, before taking a mix of A and B roads through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
“I really got into my fitness a few years ago and have completed marathons and ultra-marathons,” says Taylor. “But ever since some family friends cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End, it’s been in the back of my mind to run the distance.
“My training started last November, and I ran consistently to build up strength. When February hit, I ran every day with no days off, completing two longer runs every weekend.
“On the morning of day one I was full of nerves; I had a slight Achilles injury and just wanted to get going. I needn’t have worried. Running through Scotland was amazing; so many people came out to support us and the scenery was stunning. In fact, throughout the whole route, I had friends and family cheering me on, many of them ran with me once we crossed the border which was a huge motivation.
“The things I found most challenging were eating enough, pacing myself and navigating the UK roads. In the final ten days I really struggled to take in enough calories and run at a consistent pace. Plus there were sections of road, especially north west to south west England, where I had to run on unpaved areas which was mentally fatiguing.
“But I kept going. On the final morning, I woke up feeling numb and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the achievement. The last day turned out to be amazing; I had 15 of my closest friends run with me at the start, some of them had only recently started running but said they had been so inspired by the challenge that they pushed themselves to run over a half marathon distance with no proper training! I was so proud of that.
“Around four miles from the end, I met my parents for the final time and all the emotion came out. It had been raining all day but the sun came out and I crossed the finish line with all my friends and family waiting for me. It was the best feeling of pure happiness.”
Taylor chose to fundraise for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in memory of his grandfather, Roy.
Taylor continues: “My Grandad and I were extremely close. He showed me the value of hard work and even though he struggled with his heart for many years, it didn’t stop him living life to the full which always inspired me. We lost him a few years ago and I wanted to do my bit to raise awareness for those affected by heart-related illness.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with the total I managed to raise, it’s more than double my original goal. I want to share a massive thanks to everyone for their donations and words of encouragement, plus all my rg+p colleagues for the kit sponsorship, sabbatical leave and supporting me throughout.
“I thought by doing this challenge I would hate running forever but the opposite has happened! I might leave it a while before tackling something similar but I’ll continue doing single event ultra marathons.”
To donate to Taylor’s campaign, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/taylor-baston-jogle.
