Run Day 4 - Calais to Desvres

Hobbling through the Pays de Calais

Breakfast served by Carol Roper, the manager at the Dover East Premier Travel Inn this morning – a big portion of porridge to start the day off well. Our ferry crossing was booked for 8.40am and the sea was flat almost all the way with just a slight chop as the wind picked up near the French coast – definitely a ‘swim day’.

Stephen and Valerie were waiting for us in the arrivals car park and we drove in convoy towards the centre of Calais where the canal marked the start of the day’s run. Almost immediately the easy run turned into a walk and the first of several pit stops to patch up Rob’s ankles. As we left Calais, his ankle settled down but his other ankle and knee started hurting; with Dan’s left calf and hamstring sore, they alternately jogged and walked covering around 5 mph.

Our route took us alongside the canal on the flat road to Guines which we negotiated easily. Out of the town, the countryside became more rolling with some sharp hills and steep descents; the runs became shorter and the walking sessions longer as Rob’s ankle started to seriously bite. Now, they were moving at a pace that the support team could keep up with and Faye joined them for most of the last 10 miles with Sandra, Valerie and me also doing stints to keep them company and take their minds off the boredom and pain.

We were travelling along quiet country roads with the occasional mile on a busier D road with the lorries thundering by. It was a cool day for the end of August with mainly grey skies and a fresh breeze. Each village we passed through had it’s full size cross on the village boundary and many had Flemish names in this North-east corner of France.

We were heading towards Desvres, the largest town we would pass through today and slowing painfully, the marathoners hobbled through the forest before entering the town. I went ahead in the motor home to check our route out of town towards our overnight accommodation and the others came slowly through the town and joined me on the D52, heading back towards the coast just south of Boulogne.

It was by far the slowest marathon so far with a time over 6 hours but it was also the toughest and the bravest. Our overnight accommodation is at Hardelot and tomorrow we need to get Rob to a doctor to have that ankle looked at!