Sarah Perry: Conquering the South West Coastal Path 

Endurance runner and teacher Sarah Perry from Cumbria initially attempted the FKT on the South West Coastal path last year; however had to DNF due to injury. This year, she returned victorious. 

Spanning an awe-inspiring 630 miles (1,014 km), the SWCP, a true testament to human endurance, proudly holds the title of the longest national trail in England. From its starting point in Poole Harbour, Dorset, to its final destination in Minehead, Somerset, the path’s undulating terrain and a collective ascent of approximately 115,000ft pose a monumental challenge.

Inov-8 athlete Sarah has been running ultramarathons for 5 years, pushing the distance further each year. After pulling out of last year’s SWCP attempt, she almost immediately began planning the next attempt. 

“I knew I wanted to do it, and I thought that I could do it. I started putting lots of time into going back and completing it.” 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, her partner could no longer help with the attempt, so it quickly became a self-supported challenge. Sarah, demonstrating her meticulous planning and dedication, began to pour hours into her preparations to ensure she would complete the challenge this time around. 

This planning included a momentous spreadsheet outlining the average daily distances and where she would stop for food and water en route.

“An average day was about 50 miles, give or take a little bit, because there were a couple of days where I had three different ferries to catch.”

Sarah had planned to do 50 miles each day, stopping at an Airbnb each evening for a solid night’s sleep; for the first week, this went well, however as the days passed, other issues began to arise.