Next week Sophie Rooney will be back in Banbury, having run the length of Scandinavia; having lived up to her motto of “Dare Mighty Things”; oh, and having a life-saving blood transfusion along the way.
The adventure started in Nordkapp in the very north of Norway. Within a few weeks though, Sophie was very unwell. The route having taken her temporarily into Sweden, she found herself in hospital in Abisko. Diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer, she had lost half her volume of blood and needed an emergency blood-transfusion.
Not deterred, after a couple of days, and a warning from the doctor to take it easy, she set off again. The daily distance was reduced for a while – from the planned 40km/day to 25km. A knock-on effect from the illness and shorter distances run, meant the whole trip would take longer than planned. And would be a lot colder, as she ran into the winter. It also meant an increasing lack of camping facilities as they began to close for the season.
Despite that, the vast majority of nights have been spent in her increasingly chilly and damp tent, with a few respite nights in camping huts or hotels when she was able to negotiate a big enough discount. Some of the best nights however have been courtesy of the many new friends Sophie has made along the way, and who have invited her into their homes in Norway and given her a real taste for the country.
Sophie is now in the last few days of this trip. Having run through Norway and Sweden, she is now in Denmark and making her way towards the German border and Flensburg – the finish line. She should be met there on Sunday by members of her incredibly proud family, who will bring her home on Monday.
This whole adventure, whilst wanting to challenge herself, Sophie has also been raising funds for the three charities below. The current total is nearly £2,000 and she hopes to add to this on her return by giving talks to schools and clubs etc. These will not only cover the actual adventure, but her journey there from being a top sprint kayaker.
The Charities:
The Thomas Theyer Foundation – www.thomastheyerfoundation.org.uk
Mountain Rescue England and Wales – www.mountainrescue.org.uk
The Stroke Association – www.stroke.org.uk
