65 miles, 90,700 steps & 1,246 minutes of walking whilst fully padded up. That’s what Dan Robbins managed to push through across 3rd & 4th August, raising vital funds for Thorverton Cricket Club.
Dan’s sponsored challenge was for the 65 miles between North Devon CC & Exmouth CC to be walked in 24 hours. He did it with 13 minutes & 6 seconds to spare.
We caught up with Dan today, a week on after his monumental trek.
First things first, how are the legs?
Legs pretty much recovered, shins have calmed right down. The only issue I still have is my feet, they’re getting better each day but my toes and the balls of my feet are still sore and my numerous blisters are still healing.
Now you’ve had a week to look back at it, did you enjoy it or was the pain too much?
My overarching feeling is that it was all worth it and there were periods that were enjoyable. Inevitably there were some hard moments during the early hours and particularly the last 5 miles where I really suffered. I think the pain of those last 5 miles is still too fresh to say I completely enjoyed it but with time those memories will fade and the good parts will stand out.
Which was the hardest part? Those last 5 miles or the overnight stint?
They were different in terms of difficulty. The overnight bit is a bit of a blur but it wasn’t so much pain at that point, more the inconvenience and bleakness of the dark. I struggled to fuel properly during the early hours as I didn’t have an appetite but as soon I got to Sandford/Shobrooke and was able to have some breakfast and refresh I felt OK. The last 5 miles was definitely the worst. Everything was hurting by that point and I’d reached physical and mental exhaustion. The lads will tell you I was grumpy and struggled to push through at times.
Was there anything that helped get you through the 65 miles?
The main thing was having friends with me particularly at the end just to distract tou from the task at hand. When you’re chatting away you often realise you’ve done a fair chunk without realising it. Outside of that is the fear of failure. I didn’t want to let down all the people who had sponsored me and that’s what kept me going through the real low points.
What was the best thing you saw in the 24 hours?
In all honesty the finishing line. That felt good and seeing friends and family there was class. Other than I saw 2 lizards which I didn’t even know existed in England.
Any funny moments?
Nothing that stands out. We did crap ourselves a bit when at night Adam shined a torch into a field and it reflected off about 300 pairs of eyes which turned out to be sheep. It just made us jump as we had no idea they were there.
Any ambitions to do any future challenges?
Erm never say never, that’s 2 big ones I’ve done now and I do have a weird fascination with pushing myself beyond what is normal. I think I’d like to do something over a week or something like that so we’ll see. For now I’ve got some personal challenges to get fitter and spend some time adventuring outdoors.
So far, Dan has raised over £2,500 for Thorverton CC for the challenge. The fundraiser will be closing on Saturday 19th August, so it’s not too late to reward his fantastic efforts. You can donate on the GoFundMe page HERE.
Everyone at TCC is incredibly grateful to Dan for his fundraising & also incredibly proud that he succeeded, well done Dan!
Thorverton Cricket Club 