32 SPOON FEATURE By Bill Hill, CEO The Marathon Man


39th marathon day Stuart crossed the line at Lands End. This left one marathon to be completed on his home island of Guernsey. This final marathon was duly despatched and the celebrations began with a fantastic homecoming dinner attended by the Lieutenant Governor and the Bailiff of the island along with over 200 family, friends and corporate sponsors. The evening was hosted by our very own Ian Robertson who commented that Stuart was “absolutely remarkable … but quite bonkers!” Bonkers? I think not. It takes a huge amount of imagination, endeavour and courage to raise over £50,000 for Wooden Spoon!


Completing the 40th marathon, Stuart crosses the finish line!


What on earth compelled you to put yourself through such a painful endurance challenge? Well apart from it being a significant birthday I wanted to do something for the children on the island. It may be that people see Guernsey as a bit of a haven but we also have our share of disadvantaged children. Wooden Spoon has done so much here and was an obvious choice as the benefiting charity since I introduced Wooden Spoon to the island over 10 years ago.


With his 65th birthday approaching the idea to do something special came to Stuart Hardie and like many crazy challenges it all started over a glass or two of wine. The idea of running 40 marathons in 40 days from John O’ Groats to Lands End for Wooden Spoon was born. Stuart Hardie set out on the 20th September from John O Groats to cover over 1,000 miles in 40 days. Day 17 saw him cross the border to England and on his


This was no easy challenge and must have required a lot of route planning, logistics and a significant support staff not to mention funding, how did you go about pulling all this together?


In event organising, the mantra is Planning, Preparation and Adaptability. I put together a great team that started with the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey agreeing to be patron. He immediately gave the operation gravitas and authority. After that a few pals came on board to help with fundraising and book keeping. Then we went after the best that we could lay our hands on in the fields of IT and PR, medical team and sports therapy, nutrition and personal trainer.


While the team worked on the logistics I worked on fitness and the regime meant that for almost a year I had to forego Saturday morning golf for a 20 mile run. I’d be running 8 – 10 miles most evenings with hills and intervals regularly added and a gym session on Wednesdays just for good measure.


Stuart and his support team prepare for the final leg


And we were adaptable. The route was mapped out but had to be re-planned to satisfy the UK Constabulary. The start date was changed to give time for better organised fundraising. Six weeks prior to departure we also had to factor in a hernia op!


Spoonews Spring 2012 www.woodenspoon.com


Were there any points in the challenge when you sat back and wondered why you had embarked on such an audacious task?


Certainly there were some quite dreadful days during the run. I remember the pain early on when my feet were a mess of blisters and bruising, then the frustration of getting lost on the Great Glen Way near Loch Ness and the strength sapping running in atrocious weather crossing the border to England and on several stretches on Dartmoor;. .. without question these incidents challenged me greatly, but I never wavered in my belief that I would complete the job


What pulled you through these dark moments?


“Doc”, Whitford Andrews, gave me and this challenge seven undivided weeks of his time. He was a fantastic help and support. Every morning at 7am he’d be in to check how I was for the day. He would work for 30 minutes sorting me and my feet. I was obviously looking a bit off colour one morning and I was told, in no uncertain terms, that “You’re not ill! They’re only blisters!”just the right sort of kick up the backside that I needed. Another aspect of keeping my spirits high was the support I received on the dreadful Glen Nevis day, I stopped at the support van for a complete change of gear and to get the Doc to re-strap my feet. I was so tired, I was falling asleep as he worked. I was hardly back on the road when we met up with chums who’d completed a 150 mile round trip just to give me a supportive wave and cheer! That’s what kept me going!


You must have been overjoyed when you passed the finish line at Lands End. What was your first indulgence? I can’t remember that there was one. How tedious a reply is that? To put it in perspective on the route south I’d been allowed to eat all the foods that had been banned for so long! Roast potatoes and chips, cheese and crackers and any number of puddings. I was like a kid in a sweet shop!


Do you have a final word for anybody thinking of challenging themselves in such a way?


I was told I needed a reason I believed in for taking on the challenge and Spoon covered that for me. And you have to have an unswerving belief in yourself which I had. Certainly you can’t shirk on the training but if you haven’t got the right reason for being out there or the belief in yourself everything becomes so much more difficult.


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