Andy Hood.

Running Westward Ho! — The Run That Changed Everything

170 miles.28,000 feet of elevation.J

ust reading those numbers is enough to make your quads file a formal complaint.

But those were the startling stats of the run that started it all—my run to Land’s End. The one that gave birth to the name Runningwestwardho, which became my Instagram handle, this website, and in many ways, a new version of me.

I’ve always liked naming my runs. Why just “go for a jog” when you can embark on something called The Burger Run? (Yes, that was a literal run to Diddly Squat Farm… thank you, Jeremy Clarkson.) Or The Great Doughnut Run, when I zig-zagged across London to visit somewhere around 20 Krispy Kreme stores. No regrets. Only sugar.

So when I decided to run from the North Devon coastal town of Westward Ho! to Land’s End, the name basically wrote itself. Fun fact: Westward Ho! is the only place in the UK with an actual exclamation mark in its official name—clearly a town after my own heart. I was heading west along the South West Coast Path, and because I was in Cornwall—pirate country—I imagined myself yelling my new name in my best pirate voice, complete with a hearty “arrrrrh.” This amused me far more than it should have, especially considering I was usually alone on a cliff path with no one to witness my commitment to character.

This run was originally meant to happen in late summer 2021. Life, however, threw in a plot twist: cancer. The kind of twist that knocks the air out of you and forces everything to stop. Treatment took over. Survival took centre stage. Running had to wait.

But in the autumn of 2022—one year later, a little bruised, a lot changed—I finally set off. It wasn’t just a run anymore. It was a comeback. A rediscovery. A line in the sand saying, I’m still here.

I took on the 170 miles over five days, climbing and descending what felt like every hill Cornwall could possibly throw at me. (Some of them twice, I swear.) Along the way, I met incredible people—walkers, runners, locals, travellers—many of whom had been following the journey through the South West Coast Path Facebook group.

Each evening I’d post an update, and the next day complete strangers would appear on the trail to cheer me on. I’d hear, “Are you the Westward Ho! guy?” far more times than I’d ever anticipated.

We shared stories. Some funny, some heartbreaking, all human. Those moments stitched themselves into the fabric of the adventure. They reminded me that running might be a solo act, but journeys rarely are.

And then came Land’s End.

I wish I could say I ran triumphantly toward the famous signpost like a majestic athlete in slow motion, but in reality I sort of shuffled, cried, and laughed all at once. It was messy. It was emotional. It was perfect. After everything—the diagnosis, the fear, the doubt, the miles—it felt like standing on the edge of the world and getting a second chance.

And the fundraising? Over £3,500 raised for Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, and YoungMinds. Knowing that my mad little coastal adventure could help others made every blister feel worth it.

That run lit a fire in me—one that hasn’t gone out. Since then, I’ve gone on to design my own long-distance challenges across the world: tough, beautiful, emotional ultras that push my limits and, hopefully, inspire others to push theirs. Each one with a purpose. Each one with a story. Each one reminding me that I can keep moving forward, no matter what life throws at me.

And it all started with a town called Westward Ho!, a pirate voice, and a very long run that changed everything.