4 hours 14 minutes Fastest time yet.

Hugh hit a vein of form today completing his marathon in a very sharp time, helped by running with a 18 yr old full of vim, once my pedestrian 'lead' of the run released them just after half way. This is evidence of Hugh having tapered nicely in his training and frankly smacks of professionalism. Good job too, given the intensity and length of this challenge.

We headed off to the Somme today, starting at Querrieu. We were joined by Charlie Bridge, Spohie's nephew from Mayfield. Charlie is 18 and therefore annoyingly able to bang out a marathon without too much difficulty. He is also a Cambridge undergrad, a breed with whom we have been inundated on this trip. Not enough to be subjected to the UK desk banging on inn Eurobabble, these Cambridge men and woman educated folk pop out, translating Swahili into Latin whilst unicycling (bikes with baskets on being passe these days). Where are the honest red brickers? I ask, or those whose universities won dubious architectural awards in the 1960s for being built of single towers of concrete in the Romanian monolithic style? (I'm a surveyor you know, so don't get iffy.)

The chip on my shoulder doesn't help my running. Also my strapping means I move along like someone unable to work out if they want to go for an honest jog or an energetic goose step. Anyway, we set out, a fluorescent clad trio from the car park after being photographed repeatedly in front of a supermarket which none of us quite understood, though dumbly went along with as one does in front of a professional looking cameraman.

We hoofed off, winding our way along the Somme river and through fields that almost a century earlier was the site of the most ordnance ever thrown at an opposing army in one day on 1st July 1916.On the subsequent fighting, there were 60,000 casualties on this single day, including 20,000 fatalities. We stuck to the road nearest the river and though saw endless signs for cemeteries, but sadly didn't have time to visit. It would be appropriate to come back and pay our respects another time. It is sobering to think as we ran along on a sunny spring day, birdsong ever present, that because of them, we can do this.

I left the others at 15 miles when we stopped for lunch and they continued along the tributaries and small lakes of the Somme, past fishermen, Little Charlie completing his first marathon in style. We were supported all the way round by Hugh's aunt Rosie and Big Uncle Charlie who are great characters. Never a dull moment with them and the gendarmerie thought they had a spot of crowd trouble given Rosie's enthusiastic clapping and shrieking on every street corner.

We had a long drive to St Omer but I think it was worth the diversion from our natural route to go to the Somme. After an excellent dinner with some Del Boy style cocktails as aperitifs we went back to our hotel, preparing for our final push to the channel.