Running The Ridgeway - #RWBAM

Charlie Massey's Bumper Sticker Says It All

Charlie [The Coffee Man] Massey's bumper sticker sums up his next few days succinctly - I Run Far! At 9AM this morning Charlie set off on the first leg of an 87 mile run along what is thought to be Britain's oldest road, The Ridgeway (est. 5,000 years old), a journey that will take him 4 days to complete.

In case you haven't been following Charlie on Twitter (and you should), the reason our Eventing Barista is running up hill and down dale is to raise funds for Spinal Research. During this epic run Charlie will have notched up over 2,000 miles this year, raising much needed funds for a charity our sport has a vested interest in.

Racehorses Exercising In Lambourn

I rarely travel through Lambourn in the morning these days, but I'm glad I did agree to pick Charlie up at his finishing stage for today and ferry him to the start over near Marlborough - From Seven Barrows To Long Barrows! As you may have seen from my tweet early this morning, you can get one of the best views in England on a winter's morning here in Lambourn as the racehorses gallop up the hills and saunter back during the early morning mists as dawn breaks.

Our journey to the start and in deed Charlie's 87 mile hike takes you through the heartland of eventing country here in the UK, and this morning alone we have driven past the yards of Laura Collett, Andrew Nicholson, my own, and the world famous international satellite yard at Maisey Manor to name but a few.

Charlie Massey & Bryan Elliot Set Off On Stage 2 of RWBAM - Far Too Cheery Considering The Temperature Was About -5C

"C'mon, I'm Freezing"

Charlie ran the first 5 miles or so alone off past Barbury Castle Horse Trials in about 50 mins before being met by Bryan Elliot (of Larkhill Hose Trials fame) at the historic Hackpen Hill, for the next two legs as a running companion. I felt sorry for Bryan's dog who sat patiently freezing in the sub zero temps whilst Charlie refuelled for the next leg.

By the time they reached the next 'Aid Station' just north of Marlborough where Jennie Smith was waiting with the biggest "elevenses" selection of cake, sweets, hot soup and goodness knows what I've ever seen, they'd both covered more miles I've run all year. (I'll stick to the mountain bike!)

If you do get a chance over the next few days please do go and support Charlie or perhaps make a small contribution to his fundraising pot. All the details can be found here:


Charlie's Running Blog

http://www.facebook.com/rwbam

Support The Eventing Barista

Charlie On Twitter

#RWBAM (on twitter)