One Hundred Miles

One Hundred Miles for the People Who Gave Everything

PTSD Resolution Ambassador Tanya Hodges is about to attempt the greatest challenge of her fundraising career: 100 miles, two countries and 48 hours on her feet. She tells us why she keeps pushing further.

Tanya Hodges has climbed Kilimanjaro, trekked to Everest Base Camp and completed multiple 100-kilometre ultra-distance events. In the process, she has raised over £10,000 for PTSD Resolution and become one of the charity's most dedicated ambassadors. Yet when she is asked what drives her, she doesn't talk about personal bests or bucket lists. She talks about Veterans.

"I always think back to the Veterans and the struggles that they have, and the pain that they might be in," she says. "What I'm going through is a tiny period of time. I'll finish, and then that will be it. But I always try and bring myself back to why I'm actually doing it, and ultimately, it is for them."

On 4th July, Tanya will take on the biggest challenge of her fundraising career so far: 100 miles from Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, crossing two countries on foot, with 2,000 metres of ascent along a rugged coastal path, all within a completion window of just 48 hours.

How it started

Tanya's connection to PTSD Resolution began in 2018, through her work as an aviation security trainer at Gatwick Airport. While preparing a training course that referenced PTSD, she didn't want to risk presenting inaccurate information to her delegates, many of whom were ex-military or former police, so she contacted the charity directly.

"They were very helpful in giving me information," she recalls. "And then I thought, as a thank you, I would do some fundraising."

Eight years on, that simple thank you has grown into something considerable.

The challenge ahead

The 'Rat Race Coast to Coast', a 100 mile overnight event with around 600 participants, is, Tanya admits, a step into genuinely unknown territory.

"The furthest I've ever gone is 65 miles. To then consider another 35 miles on top of that, whilst tired and sleep-deprived, yeah, I'm coming at it from a very different angle."

She is not planning to stop for sleep. Some participants will take a 90 minute rest at an aid station, but Tanya has decided to push through. She has experienced hallucinations during previous overnight events and knows what sleep deprivation does to the mind. Even so, it doesn't put her off.

"I just need to manage the controllables," she says. "Weather, I can't change. But I can make sure my kit is right, my drop bags are planned, and I take it 10 miles at a time."

The drop bags themselves show how meticulous her preparation has been. She has mapped the route in 10-mile segments and chosen different footwear for each terrain: trail shoes for the muddy, stony coastal path in the early miles, then heavily cushioned road shoes for the concrete stretches at the finish. A separate pair, a size larger than usual, is packed for when her feet inevitably swell past the halfway point.

"I can't be reckless with my feet over that kind of distance," she says, with the calm of someone who has had her share of blisters. "I've learned that!"

Training for the unknown

Preparation has been relentless. Back-to-back weekend training walks of 30 to 40 kilometres, a 33 mile mountain race in Wales, and regular strength work focused on her back and core. In the weeks before the event, she added a six-day high-altitude trek in the Himalayas near Rishikesh, ascending up to 4,000 metres, to sharpen her cardiovascular fitness.

"There's only around 11 weeks to go," she says. "It's creeping up hugely."

The mental side, she acknowledges, may be the hardest part. "By the morning I've usually completed and I'm finished. On this one, I'll have to go into another day, and potentially another night."

Her tools for the dark moments are straightforward: music, podcasts, voice notes from friends, and the image of arriving at Edinburgh Castle in the early morning. Hearing the bagpipes, glimpsing the finish line.

"I try to visualise what it will be like to finish, not if I'm going to finish. Just having that mental picture is very powerful."

Why it matters to her

Tanya's father was in the military. She lost him when she was 20. She speaks about him quietly, without elaborating, but the thread is clear. "I think he would be really proud of the work I do for the charity."

Through her security training courses at Gatwick, Tanya has been able to signpost colleagues to PTSD Resolution when they've needed support. "Just through discussions and through my involvement with the charity, I've been able to offer some guidance. That's been fantastic."

She has attended many PTSD Resolution events, met therapists and Veterans at charity conferences, and was invited to the Soldiering On Awards last year, "probably one of the best nights of my life."

Being an Ambassador, she says, has given her a voice and a platform she wouldn't otherwise have had: "I'm very proud to be linked to the charity. It just feels right to fly that flag."

On 4th July, she sets off

Somewhere between Bamburgh Castle and Edinburgh, probably in the small hours of the night, Tanya Hodges will hit a wall. Her feet will hurt, her body will want to stop, and the weather may be foul. She might have a cup of tea and a sit-down at the next checkpoint. Then she will remind herself why she is doing this, and keep going.

If you would like to help Tanya help our Veterans and families, you can visit her fundraising page and follow her progress on social media.

Tanya would love to see some PTSD Resolution therapists and Veterans at the finish line in Edinburgh, so if you are in the area please do get in touch. We will be there with a banner.

PTSD Resolution, Charity No. 1202649, provides free, confidential therapy for armed forces Veterans, Reservists and their families through a network of 200 therapists nationwide. To date, the charity has treated nearly 5,000 clients, with an 82% programme completion rate and a 79% reliable improvement rate. Treatment costs an average of £910 per course, delivered entirely free to clients. For more information, visit www.PTSDresolution.org