What Katie did next

And the series finale. Day 100+1 arrived. I couldn’t quite believe I’d made it. I knew I probably wouldn’t felt the intensity and overwhelming floods of relief and joy on day 100 with the pogniant nature of the representation on the geographical journey. But starting that final “run”, which lets be honest I’ll just call it for what it was….speed limping, just blew my mind. Seeing the total on my fundraising efforts increase, I’d spoken to radio Sussex the day before about the challenge and what it meant, and been interviewed at Brighton, I knew my wife was out on the course and a group of my running pals were cheering but hearing so many people shout they’d been following the journey was surreal. I suddenly realised all those posts and heart felt pouring of my would into this had not been in vain. Admittedly I knew it wasn’t as I’d received messages of tales of runners signing up to their first marathon, or even getting that run done they almost didn’t, or reading more about refugees, learning more about poverty, donating to hygiene bank collections, reassessing their own goals and ambitions realising they were capable of more. Yet somehow this felt like a sudden realisation of how far the story of this journey has spread. I couldn’t believe so many people were so interested. I can honestly say I was so humbled and inspired by the whole thing and at the finish line I just repeatedly felt so honoured and privileged I was able to be the person to take that journey, taking space by uplifting the voices of those who need our support and compassion.

Never let anybody tell you that you can’t make a difference. Ever.

You may not be able to change the whole world but you can change the whole world for at least one person. That was always enough for me.

Any change for good is better than inertia. Overwhelm is no excuse for inertia. As a collective when we all place those small efforts together a huge impact can be made. When one match is lit it goes out quickly but light the whole box and that’s a fire hazard.

I couldn’t leave the page hanging without those last two updates! So day 100….officially this was originally day 99 but after realising I could break a record, I included the marathon I’d already ran on New Year’s Eve as part of the Liverbird double marathon weekend. This meant day 99 became 100 and 100 became 101. That happened every early on. Most people just didn’t do the maths!!! Day 100 represented the distance from the shores of Calais to the shores of dover. The sun came out for some time and it reminded me of 16th March which has been the busiest crossing day in the channel, with over 900 asylum seekers intercepted. With the weather I suspected there would be many crossings that day. It felt so poignant that so many don’t make this leg of the journey, losing their lives at the hands of war. They managed to escape war, stay alive and yet the U.K. wouldn’t offer a safe route, forcing them into boats. They do not have to stay in France. Under the Geneva convention it is noted that unconventional entry method or routes may be used to enter a country in which the person claims asylum. Seeking safety should not be criminalised but that’s exactly what’s happening right now as we speak. People endure journeys thousands of miles long, enduring so much, showing resilience and tenacity that in me people identify as a positive, yet they finally make it so close and are left out in the cold. The U.K. has an obligation to help refugees. We need to do better. Not only by providing safe entry points and safe routes for refugees but by providing them with real meaningful support. If we can afford somehow to fund offshore processing then we can afford to pay refugees a proper welfare support or allow them to work. Refugees are given £39 per week yet the income definition for destitution is defined as £70 per week. From the outset refugees are expected to not only fight for their lives but are then expected to live on amounts that dehumanise them and their lives. Every time my body ached, or felt like it was giving up and had nothing else, this kept the journey going to day 101.