In 2003 Howell Lewis passed away, following a battle against cancer where he demonstrated all of the toughness that made him such a force on the rugby field and such a pest off it!

Since that time Howell has never been far from our thoughts and we've taken time at various points along the way to remember our friend:

- In 2013, ten years on from his passing, a group of us completed the Three Peaks 24 Hour Challenge 

- In 2018, fifteen years on from his passing, I completed five half marathons in five weeks

And so, as 2023 will mark twenty years since a mate, a son and a brother was lost, it feels right to take on something both challenging and close to home. The plan is to complete the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, all 186 miles of it, in seven days, from north to south. I'll be heading out from St Dogmaels on Saturday 1st April and will (hopefully) arrive at the finish line in Amroth on Friday 7th April.

This will work out at an average of just over a marathon each day, with a total of 35,000 feet of ascent and descent along the way...even typing that sentence felt a little uncomfortable!

There are two main reasons why I'll be taking this on. The first is to raise much needed funds for LATCH. This vital charity supports children who are being treated by the Oncology Unit at the Children's Hospital of Wales, as well as their families. LATCH were a tremendous support to Howell and his family during his illness and they are still doing this vital work today. Any amount you can spare, big or small, would be greatly appreciated!

The second reason is that I often wonder, if Howell were still with us, what he'd be doing, what he would have achieved etc. Obviously there's no way to know anything for sure, but I'm extremely confident that wherever he was, he'd be by the sea. The fact he never got to have these sort of adventures means the least we can do is give it a crack!

Lastly, there's bound to be some tough moments along the way where a bit of company might just lift the spirits, so if anyone fancies getting involved on one of the days, head to my Instagram page (@rhysbuckley) as I'll be posting the route for each day on there.

Thanks,

Rhys