Day 1 of Borough 2 Boro Marchester completed ✓.

13 hours 20 minutes on the road; 17.58 / 20.44 miles (depending which app I am looking at). I am currently using 2 apps, one where I will leave it running for the whole 17 days (Strava) and another where I will complete the workout each day to have individual days showing (Map My Walk). I was hoping for it to be 20 miles so was a bit disheartened when, after finishing, I realised one only less than 18 miles recorded but I am happy with how the day went. 

Starting in Borough, SE1, I headed to different parts of London which have personal meaning for me: 

• Paddington; where I was born
• Marylebone; where I lived up until the age of five
• Abbey Road Studios; next to the first school I went to (which I also went past)
• Finchley Central, where I spent most of my life

During the walk, I went past many places I’ve gone to over the years, including hospitals and shops. Takings things slow, I took quite a few beaks but I would rather complete the walk at my own pace then tire myself out too quickly. 

I was going to go a slightly different route, via Mill Hill then finish in Arnos Grove however, as I will be in Mill Hill on day 3, I decided to avoid it today. With it being late and started to feel the pain in my legs, when I thought I had completed 20 miles, I decided that I would finish in Finchley Central. One issue I notice is that, because of the banner on my back, which is a frustration to take off and put back on, I notice I don’t seem to rest properly when I do sit which I feel contributed to how much pain I had in my legs.

Throughout the day I did a few Tik Tok Lives and I managed to get a few donations today which was great. Thank you to everybody who has donated.

On one of my Tik Tok lives, I received criticism surrounding why I have gone to all of this effort to ‘only raise £200’. 

Whilst a large motivation to do this walk is to fundraise for Support For Us, a charity being launched to provide training and resources around young people’s mental health, another reason for it is to have a personal accomplishment. 

Growing up, I feel I never had any real aspirations and never felt the sense of having achieved anything in life. When I look back on my life, it’s too easy to compare myself to others and feel like I haven’t accomplished as much as others my age. It’s all too easy to go down the rabbit hole of seeing how people have travelled the world, gone to university, gotten married and had kids. 

The thing that I always remind myself though is that no two journeys are the same. When I look at what people have achieved, I sometimes stop in my tracks and think to myself that I wish I was them. The thing is though, I then pause and remind myself of all that I have done in life. I’ve travelled the world, I’ve gone paragliding, I have built myself up from the bottom, I’ve spoken on television and I’ve overcome many battles, to just name a few examples. With all of these, I’ve done them independently with little to no support from those around me. 

When it comes to ‘only’ raising £200; not only am I confident that is going to go up during the walk itself, even if it was £1 that is still fine as I’m not only doing this to fundraise. I am doing this as a personal achievement to show to myself how far I’ve come in life. 

In 2024 I walked the Brighton Marathon to fundraise for Support For Us. If you told me when I was 16 that I would walk a marathon as an adult, I would burst out laughing, slam the door in you face and then burst out laughing again. Alongside never having any real aspirations, me and walking did not go well as a teenager. With the exception of specific half mile walks home, I never walked anywhere. If I was told to walk 1.5 miles to go to school; I’d have likely flat out refused to go to school. In 2024, I walked a 26.2 mile marathon. In 2025, I am walking 345 miles. 

You and I may not be in the same place in our lives; but our pasts aren’t the same and nor are our aspirations for where we cant to be in the future. No two journeys are the same and that’s what make us who we are.

Show your support today

Donate today

Stripe (no minimum): https://donate.stripe.com/6oE17595Id16fgA5kK 

Go Fund Me (minimum £5): http://gofundme.com/borough-2-boro-marchester

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Website: www.Borough2BoroMarchester.com

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