Tony Riddle Crosses Great Britain Barefoot but Not Broken

Tony Riddle has done it. He completed the challenge that he set out for himself on the first of September - to run barefoot across the island of Great Britain. Tony ran from Land's End, the Southern tip of the UK, to the northernmost village of the mainland of Scotland. Originally, the idea was to run 30 miles per day for 30 days; however, as the old saying goes, "Man plans, and God laughs." The Outdoor Journal sat down with Tony to discuss his barefoot journey and the disconnect between modern living and our true potential as humans. (You can listen to the full podcast episode here).

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In his daily life, Tony coaches people to live a more natural lifestyle and feel better in their bodies. He points out small changes that people can make to massively improve their quality of life in the office, at home and most importantly, outside - from sitting positions, to squatting, to walking posture, to running technique and beyond. Some of the central tenets that we can all experiment with are breath work, meditation, cold immersion, mobility, movement and a plant based diet. To learn more about Tony's ancient, yet avant-garde rewilding practices, check out our 4-part series Rewild with Tony Riddle.

Tony committed to run across Great Britain, in part, to set an example of just what amazing things the human body is capable of doing. But he was also driven to raise awareness and support for modern sustainability practices. He selected six organisations that are making a difference, and you can find a link to donate on his page. Each day, Tony broke the 30 miles down into three sets of 10 miles, in the breaks, he sat down with environmentalists to discuss practices to conserve our environment for the next generation. Tony cares deeply about the planet's future. He has three children, and together, they supported his month-long journey alongside Tony and his wife Katarina, who was pregnant with another one on the way.

If you followed Tony's Instagram stories on his journey, then you were swept up in the rollercoaster ride of emotions as well. Early on, Tony seemed invincible, as he gleefully sang songs about his daily mileage. But after a week, the wear of the road took its toll. Tony sustained a cut on his foot that looked like a centuries-old jagged crack in bedrock. Tony's foot and ankle swelled up so much that it more closely resembled a sack of potatoes than a foot. Tony bravely shared his deep frustration and sorrow in his decision-making process to take rest days, which forced him to run back to back ultra-marathons on the final two days of September, finishing with a 47-mile day 29 and a 57-mile day 30. He pushed through the last half mile "in absolute agony," as he said in his story, accompanied by his daughters, who looked up at him with absolute pride.

Looking at this challenge through a periscope, outside of time and space, Tony wouldn't have wanted it to be easy. Deep in his soul, he asked for each and every painful step. Through the process of overcoming, Tony shared powerful tools with his audience that he used to drag himself out of the "pain cave," as he calls it, and back into the light. For more of Tony's insights, listen to the full discussion on The Outdoor Journal Podcast.

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To connect with Tony, visit tonyriddle.com

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Youtube: Tony Riddle

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