Marathon in 4 hrs 48 mins - what is he thinking of?

A friend of mine once complained of having an anus horribilis; 'like the Queen' he said. We all studied our glasses and said 'well, possibly', in awkward tones and ordered another round. Annus is what he meant and my Latin may fail me too but we have certainly had a 'dramatis dies'. I like a drama as much as the next man but not when I'm in it and not on day 16 of what we're hoping is a very long running series.

Hugh had an injury scare today which was thought to be a stress fracture. In a blaze of glory he ran the day in the quickest time for some time in case it was his last for a while before the dreaded walking kicked in. We had a difficult day navigating too. I had opted in planning for smallish roads, some of which apparently didn't exist according to my mapping software and gps which made it somewhat tricky, causing me to utter profanities in a range of European languages at my disposal (English).

Hugh loved the run though. Lots of elevation gain but this was truly remote, rural Spain. Lots of old farmers still ploughing away and no youngsters at all, alarmingly. There was even an old woman carrying an axe and sharp curved long handled instrument. Not reaping, grimly or otherwise, fortunately.

We were beginning to resign ourselves to carbohydrate gels for lunch and then came upon a rustic looking place which served the best Galician seafood and soups and some local wine which one was supposed to mix with lemonade. I didn't, needing my alcohol unencumbered. Such random places are one of the real pleasures of a trip like this.

Once Hugh had quietly finished his marathon and duly stretched we raced to Vilalba to a radiological clinic where he managed to get an X-ray and diagnosis. Fortunately this is not a fracture but inflammation of the tissue surrounding the bone. It's still a significant problem but one that requires management rather than having to stop running altogether. With two thirds of the way to go it is necessary to be circumspect, to put it mildly. Special mention in despatches to the staff who were more than helpful, and moreover to Samia who translated Hugh's concerns and made the process possible. She has also to change the treatment programme but looks forward to using her whole range of skills to get him through this.

Off we hobble tomorrow, still staggering north east but with a collective firm chin. Hugh grins, almost maddeningly, from dawn to dusk but this is what is needed. This is an awfully long challenge.

More videos of Day 16 to follow...