Not long ago we held our first 100k in a Day Challenge. We invited people, whether on their own, in pairs or in a group to commit to doing 100,000 steps in a day to raise much needed funds to help us deliver our mental health support. We had people of all ages join in and try the challenge and we are so blumming grateful to them for doing it!
We spoke to a few of them to see how it went, giving them 5 questions each. Read on for their answers:
Jo Hodson is part of PoetsIN’s DNA, being both an ambassador for the charity and a trained project worker. The 100K in a Day Challenge was the brainchild of Jo, and she kept us updated with her progress throughout on social media (when it was working!). Let’s see what she has to say.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
I felt proud by the end! It actually went much as I expected since I’d done 70k steps last year (which is why I wanted the challenge of a full 100k), from 65k+ it was tough…. aching cramps feet was the worst!
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
It took me from 5:20 am until 11:10pm – just shy of 18 hours. I did it alone, but my dad accompanied me for the last 90 mins when I was walking in the dark. That made such a difference, company during the tough bits really helps distract from the pain!
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The worst was the pain in my feet after 65k steps. Also the overgrown wet grass making my feet soaking wet – and the fact my so called waterproof socks were definitely not!
The best part was the sense of achievement in doing it, and the opportunity to create space to be, to think, to walk, to challenge myself. I also loved wandering through the beautiful Lincolnshire villages with their stone walled houses and appreciating the beautiful plants alongside the field paths. During parts it definitely felt like an active mediation or a pilgrimage of sorts.
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
I think but the time a year rolls round I’d be up for it again, doing it as part of a group would be interesting and I imagine would creative very different experience. I would do very little differently – leave earlier in the morning (written through gritted teeth!) to enable me to finish before sunset and make sure my socks are waterproof as I prefer to wear trainers vs walking boots.
How did the fundraising go?
I got the most donations on the day itself as I recorded I facebook lives every 10,000 steps. I actually really enjoyed doing that as it helped break up my journey and it was motivating watching the notifications with new donations come in as I walked.
BONUS QUESTION – are we going to do it next year, if so, when, so we can get a really good run up to it this time.
I think it has to be a similar time of year for daylight purposes, the dark makes it so much tougher mentally and makes logistics more challenging.
Jo Hodson is also an ambassador and trained project worker
Sean Houlihan is not only a big friend of the charity, but he is also embarking on the YEAR LONG ‘Listen’ challenge in October, which you can read about here. With the 100k in a Day Challenge, Sean went one step further (pun intended) and did it barefoot. Warrior! Let’s read what Sean has to say.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
It was glorious! BUT it wasn’t 100K. It felt like 1000K but I managed 55K. It was everything; stressful, hilarious, uncomfortable, exciting, long but it passed by like a quick dream. I set off from my house on the west coast of Portugal at midnight on 26th June, so walking through the night added to the journey… what felt like more of a pilgrimage.
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
The 55K took me 16 hours 36 minutes and I did it solo. Now, whether doing such a mission on my own made it easier or harder, I don’t know but i loved it!
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The best part- There were many but one still brings a tear – at around the 13th hour I was walking VERY slowly on a back country road and a very sweet lady asked me if I wanted any food or water. I said “yes” to the water but felt it best not to sit down and get too comfortable! She gave me a fresh water bottle and I carried on my way. This simple act of kindness was extreme heart-warming.
The worst part was walking to a 1.5 hour section of my walk, only to discover it was a gravel track. Bare foot walking very quickly became an abruptly different experience.
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
I would like to, but it depends on my geography and that played a massive part in the struggle. So I was to do it again I would take ‘temperature’ & ‘topography’ into account!
How did the fundraising go?
It went well I think, given that I didn’t built much awareness before the challenge. Instagram’s “donate” button on the ‘stories’ platform provide a pretty easy access for people to donate. I didn’t have any goal amount in mind as I had no idea who would be willing to donate but It felt enough.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting this challenge out into the ether, as if it wasn’t for you lot putting thing out I wouldn’t have seen Portugal in the way I did.
Sean is staying silent for a year in October.
Ivy is 6 years old and was incredible enough to get her steps done! She is the daughter of Charlotte Pilbeam, another big friend of the charity, who is embarking on her first London Marathon in October. Read more about that and find the link to donate here.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
Really hard but I feel powerful!
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
I done it with my mum and it took us a while but I didn’t stop.
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The best part was walking with my mum and having fun. The worst part getting all sweaty and running out of breath.
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
Yes I will do it next year.
How did the fundraising go?
Good, I raised £100.00 to help people with their mental health.
6 Year old Ivy is our little trooper. Thank you, Ivy!
Claire Billington and Kathryn Jennings are two active friends who undertook the gruelling 100,000 steps in a day challenge to raise funds to help support children and adults with their mental health.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
Choice of venue really helped,Rutland Water is very scenic. Great choice by Kath
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
Kath and I started at 9.00 and having stops for a coffee and lunch got back to the car park at 19.15. Having completed c. 55k steps each
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The best parts were the company, the support received, the venue, lunch (large glass of wine) and the cause. The worst parts were the aching muscles!
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
Yes I would do it again, call me crazy, however definitely needs to be split out with more people, 50,000 steps is really tough
How did the fundraising go?
Aimed to reach £200 smashed it with £330 to date.
Kathryn (left) and Clare (right) at Rutland Water
Thank you so very much to these warriors of the road, paths and fields; and to everyone else that tried and/or succeeded with the 100K in a Day challenge. If you missed it this year, fear not – we’ll be doing it again next year and the year after that. Every year, in fact! If you are fundraising or looking for a challenge to raise funds for us, please reach out on info@poetsin.com
Not long ago we held our first 100k in a Day Challenge. We invited people, whether on their own, in pairs or in a group to commit to doing 100,000 steps in a day to raise much needed funds to help us deliver our mental health support. We had people of all ages join in and try the challenge and we are so blumming grateful to them for doing it!
We spoke to a few of them to see how it went, giving them 5 questions each. Read on for their answers:
Jo Hodson is part of PoetsIN’s DNA, being both an ambassador for the charity and a trained project worker. The 100K in a Day Challenge was the brainchild of Jo, and she kept us updated with her progress throughout on social media (when it was working!). Let’s see what she has to say.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
I felt proud by the end! It actually went much as I expected since I’d done 70k steps last year (which is why I wanted the challenge of a full 100k), from 65k+ it was tough…. aching cramps feet was the worst!
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
It took me from 5:20 am until 11:10pm – just shy of 18 hours. I did it alone, but my dad accompanied me for the last 90 mins when I was walking in the dark. That made such a difference, company during the tough bits really helps distract from the pain!
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The worst was the pain in my feet after 65k steps. Also the overgrown wet grass making my feet soaking wet – and the fact my so called waterproof socks were definitely not!
The best part was the sense of achievement in doing it, and the opportunity to create space to be, to think, to walk, to challenge myself. I also loved wandering through the beautiful Lincolnshire villages with their stone walled houses and appreciating the beautiful plants alongside the field paths. During parts it definitely felt like an active mediation or a pilgrimage of sorts.
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
I think but the time a year rolls round I’d be up for it again, doing it as part of a group would be interesting and I imagine would creative very different experience. I would do very little differently – leave earlier in the morning (written through gritted teeth!) to enable me to finish before sunset and make sure my socks are waterproof as I prefer to wear trainers vs walking boots.
How did the fundraising go?
I got the most donations on the day itself as I recorded I facebook lives every 10,000 steps. I actually really enjoyed doing that as it helped break up my journey and it was motivating watching the notifications with new donations come in as I walked.
BONUS QUESTION – are we going to do it next year, if so, when, so we can get a really good run up to it this time.
I think it has to be a similar time of year for daylight purposes, the dark makes it so much tougher mentally and makes logistics more challenging.
Sean Houlihan is not only a big friend of the charity, but he is also embarking on the YEAR LONG ‘Listen’ challenge in October, which you can read about here. With the 100k in a Day Challenge, Sean went one step further (pun intended) and did it barefoot. Warrior! Let’s read what Sean has to say.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
It was glorious! BUT it wasn’t 100K. It felt like 1000K but I managed 55K. It was everything; stressful, hilarious, uncomfortable, exciting, long but it passed by like a quick dream. I set off from my house on the west coast of Portugal at midnight on 26th June, so walking through the night added to the journey… what felt like more of a pilgrimage.
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
The 55K took me 16 hours 36 minutes and I did it solo. Now, whether doing such a mission on my own made it easier or harder, I don’t know but i loved it!
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The best part- There were many but one still brings a tear – at around the 13th hour I was walking VERY slowly on a back country road and a very sweet lady asked me if I wanted any food or water. I said “yes” to the water but felt it best not to sit down and get too comfortable! She gave me a fresh water bottle and I carried on my way. This simple act of kindness was extreme heart-warming.
The worst part was walking to a 1.5 hour section of my walk, only to discover it was a gravel track. Bare foot walking very quickly became an abruptly different experience.
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
I would like to, but it depends on my geography and that played a massive part in the struggle. So I was to do it again I would take ‘temperature’ & ‘topography’ into account!
How did the fundraising go?
It went well I think, given that I didn’t built much awareness before the challenge. Instagram’s “donate” button on the ‘stories’ platform provide a pretty easy access for people to donate. I didn’t have any goal amount in mind as I had no idea who would be willing to donate but It felt enough.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting this challenge out into the ether, as if it wasn’t for you lot putting thing out I wouldn’t have seen Portugal in the way I did.
Ivy is 6 years old and was incredible enough to get her steps done! She is the daughter of Charlotte Pilbeam, another big friend of the charity, who is embarking on her first London Marathon in October. Read more about that and find the link to donate here.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
Really hard but I feel powerful!
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
I done it with my mum and it took us a while but I didn’t stop.
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The best part was walking with my mum and having fun. The worst part getting all sweaty and running out of breath.
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
Yes I will do it next year.
How did the fundraising go?
Good, I raised £100.00 to help people with their mental health.
Claire Billington and Kathryn Jennings are two active friends who undertook the gruelling 100,000 steps in a day challenge to raise funds to help support children and adults with their mental health.
You just did 100K in a day for PoetsIN – thank you! How did it go?
Choice of venue really helped, Rutland Water is very scenic. Great choice by Kath
How long did it take you and did you do it with someone else?
Kath and I started at 9.00 and having stops for a coffee and lunch got back to the car park at 19.15. Having completed c. 55k steps each
Tell us about the best and worst parts of it.
The best parts were the company, the support received, the venue, lunch (large glass of wine) and the cause. The worst parts were the aching muscles!
Would you do it again next year and what will you do different?
Yes I would do it again, call me crazy, however definitely needs to be split out with more people, 50,000 steps is really tough
How did the fundraising go?
Aimed to reach £200 smashed it with £330 to date.
Thank you so very much to these warriors of the road, paths and fields; and to everyone else that tried and/or succeeded with the 100K in a Day challenge. If you missed it this year, fear not – we’ll be doing it again next year and the year after that. Every year, in fact! If you are fundraising or looking for a challenge to raise funds for us, please reach out on info@poetsin.com
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