Walkers had their own ways of reaching finish

WHILE some people took measures to make sure they had the best chance of finishing all 39 miles of the Saffery Rotary walk, others were relieved to be able to step away from it after completing just a leg.

Lillie Cochrane, in the baseball cap, and friends at Perelle. They were walking in memory of Lillie’s father, Chris. (Picture by Mark Ogier, 29625134)

Vaseline and spare socks were the secret weapon of Joe Wright and his walking partner, Saffery colleague Karin Brehaut.

‘My mum did it last year and she said this really helped her,’ he said as he rubbed Vaseline on the soles of his feet before putting on fresh socks during a brief stop at Perelle.

Karin Brehaut and Joe Wright taking a short break for a change of socks and stretches. (Picture by Mark Ogier, 29625136)

‘It’s been good, it’s been tough on the cliffs. Very hot,’ said Ms Brehaut, who was doing the whole walk for the first time. ‘It’s getting hotter.’

She said the transition from the cliffs to the flat road had been the worst part. ‘Going up and down steps to going onto the flat has been hard. Your muscles start aching.’

Lillie Cochrane, 17, and a group of her friends were walking in memory of her dad, Chris, who died in December from bowel cancer. ‘He always wanted to do this walk,’ she said.

There were a total of more than 40 taking part in his name, most of them doing sections of the work as a relay but everyone joining for the last leg. ‘My mum and her friends are doing it, and so are my dad’s friends.’

The Saffery Rotary Charity walk around the Island. There was an opportunity to win an Apple watch by taking a selfie. (Picture by Andrew Le Poidevin, 29624725)

Sadly the southern cliffs had proven too much for at least one entrant. Deputy Carl Meerveld suffered a problem with his knee and decided to pull out when he and his son Tom, 13, got to Portelet.

‘I’m very cheesed off I didn’t make the full distance,’ he said. ‘I’m not a person who likes to give up.’

He was wary of making his knee issue worse, because he and Tom plan to take part in a big hiking event in July, which takes in the Atlantic coast from south of Biarritz to the Mediterranean: ‘We’re going to do it to raise money for the Scouts’ Jamboree,’ he said.

While Deputy Meerveld had not planned to pull out, others had not intended to go any further, such as two members of the Walkers from Walkers relay team.

Josh Owen was pleased to make use of the special service which would take his backpack to the next water station using electric vans loaned by Guernsey Post. (Picture by Andrew Le Poidevin)

‘We’re going to have an ice cream now,’ said Vanessa Da Courte as she and Hannah Green passed the imaginary baton to Rajah Abusrewil and Kathryn Macken.

When asked if they wished they were going on to do the rest of the walk, the pair had a swift response: ‘No way.’