137 miles. That’s about the distance from Washington D.C. to Philly. 137 miles is the distance our friend Callum Arnold will be running in order to raise money for Grassroots.
This amazing run will all take place from September 18th – 22nd along the SW Coastal Path in Devon, England running from the county border in Lyme Regis, to the other border: Tamar Bridge in Plymouth. We checked in with Callum and asked him some questions about how he will accomplish this amazing task, and what made him decide to run for our organization.
All donations to Callum’s run will benefit the programs run by Grassroots. To make a donation please visit Callum’s Crowdrise page here .
Hometown:
Kingsbridge, Devon, UK
What is your favorite place to travel?
Anywhere with mountains. I’d love to make it to NZ one day, but I’d have to say that Copper Mountain in Colorado is my favorite so far.
Someone who inspires you/a role model:
James Cracknell. He’s someone that epitomizes the benefits of working hard and being mentally tough.
What is your favorite sport?
Ski-Mountaineering.
Who is your favorite athlete?
Lance Armstrong. Maybe not the best moral role model, but someone who can win the Tour de France 7 times in a row, and dominate a sport the way he did, is a pretty special athlete.
If you were deserted on an island what three people would you bring with you?
Bear Grylls, Morgan Freeman and Ueli Steck.
Can you give us a little background on yourself and your connection to Grassroots?
I am a 20 year old student from Kingsbridge, Devon, studying Chemistry at Oxford University. I started rowing once I started University, much like the majority of students at Oxford, and decided that I liked it enough to continue. After a year of training, I trialled for the Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club (OULRC), where I met Tyler Spencer. Over the following year, I saw how much effort and work went in to running TGP, and when I came to the decision to do the run for charity, it was a no-brainer who to do it for.
What will you be doing for accommodation over the five day run?
Because I will have to be staying in rented accommodation along the way (for the most part), each day’s run has to end in a town with a B&B. On the Tuesday evening, before day 1, I will travel up to Lyme Regis to stay in a B&B, where I will spend the night, before getting up at around 8 for a light breakfast prior to leaving. The Wednesday and Thursday will follow a similar format, staying in Exmouth and then Brixham respectively. Once Friday comes around, I will be within range of home, so I can get picked up each evening for meals and my bed!
What will you be eating over the five day run in order to stay fueled?
Aside from a light breakfast, I will be carrying SIS Go Energy Bars, to consume one for every hour of exercise, along with my SIS Go Energy carbohydrate drinks powder to mix with my water during the run, followed by a SIS REGO protein powder drink to assist recovery. In the evenings I will get changed into my TGP shirt and head out into town for a big meal, ideally some meat and a load of carbs.
What will you be carrying while you run?
For the first 3 days, I will not have any outside help, so will have to be self-sufficient in terms of carrying kit and nutrition. Aside from the obvious running kit, I will be carrying a 2L Camelbak reservoir, stuffed all the food I’ll need for 3 days of running, and some zip-locked pouches of protein powder, alongside a map and a phone for photos, and in case I get lost.
What made you choose to run FIVE marathons?
I love training and keeping fit, whatever the sport, so at the start of the summer, I decided that I wanted to set myself a physical challenge. Originally it was Land’s End to John O’Groats, but after a bit of research, I realized I didn’t have enough money to do it solo, as this would require about 10 overnight stops in accommodation etc. I liked the idea of an end-to-end style challenge, so started to look into the logistics of running from one end of Devon to the other. This later resulted in TheCoastal5, as I realized that I enjoyed running on the coastal path with the amazing scenery and terrain.
