On Sunday 4^th October, my family and I took on the challenge of the London Marathon. With the Covid-19 restrictions, the actual event was unable to take place, and so it was done virtually using an app to track the run. 

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to take part, and it was one of the things on my bucket list. Over lockdown and the summer, I caught the running bug. With the help of the School Strava challenge, I ran and completed my first half marathon.

Without the proper training, we decided to walk most of the distance. We planned a reasonably flat route which took us along the Taunton and Bridgwater Canal. This is part of the Somerset Space Walk and includes a sculpture trail model of the Solar System. The model uses the towpath of the 22-kilometre (14-mile) Bridgwater and Taunton Canal to display a model of the Sun and its planets in their proportionally correct sizes and distances apart. Unusually for a Solar System model, there are two sets of planets, so that the diameter of the orbits is represented.

In total we walked for 6 hours 40 minutes. Although mentally and physically challenging, it was an excellent day and a rewarding experience to be able to achieve a goal which I had always dreamed of. I am still feeling the positive effects of it days after.

Kirsty Hoskins - Head of Psychology