El Camino Mike + Sean - Bridge 2 Bridge

One of the things we cherish most inside our Camino Community is when we get the opportunity to support and promote amazing people.

We first met Mike because his Instagram handle is elcamino_Mike and it didn't take long for us to unite at various London community events like RunLimited & UsualObjections and our relationship deepened.

Fast forward to May 2025 when Mike signed up to our London 100 and ended up completing a large amount of it with Sean, James and Jason (see below)

In the background Mike had been planning an even greater challenge - Bristol (Clifton Suspension Bridge) to London (Tower Bridge) circa 250KM to take place over a weekend in June 2025 - Bridge2Bridge fundraiser.

Camino had the joy of joining Mike and Sean as they entered London on the Sunday and with a massive and joyful gang we made our way to the final Bridge.

There is such an important and powerful message behind the challenge that we asked Mike if he would kindly share his reflections and together we plan to do more supportive activities for their chosen charities and the people in our community who may benefit from our help.

ElCamino_Mike:

Samaritans Sign at start of Clifton Bridge

Bridge2Bridge: A 250km Midsummer Journey for Mind and Samaritans

By Michael Edmondstone

There’s an old saying – you’ve likely heard it before – that if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.

At 6pm on Friday 20 June 2025, I stood alongside my friend Sean Axe on the mighty Clifton Suspension Bridge, staring east towards London. Two friends, two charities, one support crew, and 250km of road ahead. Our goal: to run from bridge to bridge, from Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol to Tower Bridge in London, over one weekend, in aid of mental health charity Mind and suicide prevention charity Samaritans.

Why Run?

Why do we do this? Why run distances that bend the boundaries of what we think is possible? There’s no single answer. For me, running has been a constant source of balance, a discipline and stabilising thread that keeps me steady through the winds and tides of life. Running offers space, clarity and perspective for a mind that sometimes struggles to settle. It’s an active meditation, and for me it has turned from hobby into therapy into purpose.

So when the idea of Bridge2Bridge landed in my head, it felt like more than a personal challenge. It was an opportunity to use this privilege of health and movement for something greater: to raise money and awareness for the brilliant people at Mind and Samaritans who help so many when life becomes too heavy.

Doing it for a greater cause gave energy. Doing it alongside someone else gave even more.

The Spark

The spark came a year earlier. I was in Bristol for a climbing trip, scrambling up the polished limestone of Avon Gorge with the Clifton Suspension Bridge in view. I was also training for Race to the King – a 100km event – and started wondering: what if I doubled it? Could I run from Bristol to London in one continuous journey? A quick Google Maps search showed a shortest distance of roughly 200km. Considering the wiggle of the Kennet and Avon canal and – a far more attractive and safe route than the A-roads – and the distance would be much closer to 250km.

It was just the right distance to really test me, with a route framed by two iconic bridges. The challenge lit a fire in my heart.

I didn’t want this to be a solitary thing. It would be far too long, far too demanding, and far too special not to share. A few weeks later I was running a short fun run in Chamonix as part of the UTMB festival, and mentioned the idea to my pal Sean, who I’d met in a bar the previous summer. “Yes mate,” he said without hesitation. “One hundred percent I’m down for this.”

And that was that. We had a plan. The date was set: 20–22 June 2025. Summer solstice weekend, when daylight would last longest, and the magic of midsummer would carry us across the country. Almost a year out, it was a loose plan. But the kind that sits with you and tickles your attention, demanding your excitement.

The team for the dream

As with any big challenge, the excitement comes early. You dream, you scheme, you post the idea online and people say nice things. But then reality bites. Running 250km over a weekend doesn’t just happen. There were routes to figure, bodies to condition, logistics to sort, and most importantly, people to bring on board.

Sean and I both knew we needed support – a tight-knit team to keep us going when things got tough. Enter Danil and Adam, two absolute legends who stepped up to crew the van, prepare our food and coffee, and drive point-to-point to meet us every 10–20km for two full days. Barely time to sleep. No chance to stop their focus. Just full-hearted commitment.

We genuinely couldn’t have completed this challenge without them. They kept us hydrated, fed, rested where possible. They kept our gadgets charged and our morale high. I can’t thank them enough for taking time off work to dedicate to helping us through. Danil, Adam, you guys rock.

We also reached out to friends, family and colleagues to start raising funds for Mind and Samaritans. We set an initial goal of £5,000. We wanted people to feel part of this journey with us, not just watching from the sidelines but actively invested in the outcome. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our friends and family, we quickly hit the £5,000 mark, and felt we should double it to £10,000. Donations kept flooding in, with each one feeling like fuel, and every message of support lifting us higher.

In terms of training, we each had our own rhythm. I focused on long back-to-backs, getting used to time on feet and running when tired. Sean hit the hills in the Lake District where he lives, and built incredible endurance. We checked in regularly, swapped notes, kept each other on track. There was no strict plan, just a shared trust that we’d be ready for whatever came.

Clifton to Newbury (127km)

Friday, 20 June. We stood on Clifton Suspension Bridge on a baking heatwave evening. With fresh legs and full hearts, the moment felt almost ceremonial. We’d made it to the start. The rest would be simple: one foot in front of the other, for a very long time.

The early stages were beautiful. Through Bath, then along the Kennet & Avon canal towpath past the sleepy villages and open fields of Wiltshire. The pace was naturally conservative, just steady enough to chat and take in the landscape. Our friends Josh and Laura joined us for a few kilometres between Bristol and Bath – a real pleasure to share the experience with them.

We ran through the night to get plenty of kilometres under our belts before the day’s forecast 30º weather hotted up. Danil and Adam met us every couple of hours to help us get some hot food and coffee in. Our worlds were focused to a few square meters of headtorch light, the repetition of our footsteps a natural rhythm through the darkness.

Sunrise on the Saturday – summer solstice! – warmed us and brought fresh energy to our aching legs. Further along the canal and across farmland, the kilometres kept ticking along. Constant, steady momentum. The stillness of the water, the rhythm of our steps, the occasional narrowboat captain waving us on – it all felt strangely serene.

By 4:30pm, as we hobbled into Newbury, we’d made it halfway – a huge physical and psychological milestone. We caught up with Sean’s family and girlfriend Sophie, who were incredible throughout the weekend, Danil, Adam and Franzi. We ate lasagne, lay down, stretched, massaged our legs, and figured what we really needed after being awake for 34 hours was a bit of sleep.

Two hours was enough to reset and flush out some lactic acid. We had some running to do!

Newbury to Tower Bridge (123km)

Getting the body moving again after resting was humbling. Ankles stiff, backs sore, quads aching. We took on some more electrolytes, carbed up and hobbled back onto the towpath. As the sun set and we settled into another night shift, we eased into another rhythm, the body loosening and the mind gearing into focus, barely speaking as moved our feet onward.

Sean’s playlist – experimental, avant-garde flute music à la André 3000 – set the scene for more meditative, esoteric introspection as we continued to shuffle forward. As movement became increasingly difficult, we agreed to five minutes running, five minutes walking.

And with this disciple, we were beyond Reading before sunup.

London was close.

The Sunday was something else: friends joined for various distances at different points along the route. At times there were nearly 20 of us all running together – an experience I’ll cherish for a long time.

Ascot. Egham. Staines. And we were within the M25! Now just a procession into central London! Hounslow, Chiswick, Hammersmith, Hyde Park, The Thames! Any residue of fatigue was behind us – we were flying, fuelled by the adrenaline of knowing the finish was right around the corner. Our pace picked up, our group of runners and cyclists sharing the final few kilometres with us were a pack of positivity. We moved together with huge grins, knowing we were going to make it.

At 6:44pm, nearly 49 hours after we’d set off, Sean and I ran side by side into the middle of Tower Bridge with an incredible group of friends. There were tears, there were cheers. And there were lots of hugs. What a privilege to share the emotion of that moment with so many amazing people.

We’d made it.

What I Learned

It’s hard to wrap up something this raw and immense with neat conclusions. But here’s what I’ll carry with me:

• Community is everything. Sean. Danil. Adam. All of those who joined the run. The friends who messaged. The strangers who donated. Those who clapped and cheered as we arrived utterly jubilant at Tower Bridge. None of this could have happened alone.

• The mind goes first. Unless you really, honestly can’t, you can always go one more step. So, in tough times, just keep going. The body follows the mind. Once mental fog and negativity lifts, the momentum returns.

• Simple things are holy. Coffee. Dry socks. Shared silence. A van to sit in. A hug from your crew. In these long runs, it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference.

• We’re all stronger than we think. 250km is far. But so is surviving grief, depression, burnout. Running doesn’t fix those things, but it can teach you how to keep going. How to be patient with pain. How to endure and come through changed.

  
  

Fundraising and Purpose

By the end of the weekend, we’d raised nearly £11,000 for Mind and Samaritans, thanks to nearly 300 generous donors. That’s enough to help hundreds of people access mental health support when they need it most.

Both charities do extraordinary work. Mind offers advice and services for people struggling with mental health. Samaritans provide a listening ear 24/7 to those in distress. We ran for them, and for all those who’ve been helped by them, because nobody should face the darkness alone.

An unexpected aftermath

The aftermath of this challenge caught me by surprise. My body bounced back fairly quickly, and I even managed a 120km ultra the following weekend (I’m not saying this to gloat, only to make the point that my body was OK). But my mind was completely flat. I fell into a mini-depression, where I couldn’t find joy in anything, despite being in a beautiful place with my incredible partner Franzi. It confused me – I didn’t really understand what was happening.

Luckily for me, Franzi did some research and discovered this can be totally normal after completing a big endurance adventure, or any peak experience in fact. The body is depleted of cortisol and serotonin – the hormones that regulate stress and mood – and a big release of tension can cause fatigue and emotional flatness. I hadn’t the tools to be aware this could happen, and it hit me hard. I was on the verge of tears for days and felt irritable, unsettled and absolutely empty.

Now that I recognise this as a possible effect of completing big endurance challenges, for future challenges, I’ll be sure to factor in plenty of space, slowness and understanding to allow myself to fully recover.

Final Thoughts:

Bridge2Bridge was never just a run. It was a shared act of purpose, a lesson in surrender, a test of endurance, and a celebration of friendship. I’m so grateful to have shared this experience with Sean – a friend and now brother in arms who showed up, stayed steady, and pushed through his own battles to make it to the end.

To everyone who supported us, thank you. To the Camino Ultra community, thank you for being a tribe of dreamers and doers who understand why these things matter. Many of you have reached out since the Bridge2Bridge, and I am so grateful for your support. I hope to run with you soon.

And to anyone reading this wondering if you could do something similar… you absolutely can. You don’t need to run 250km. Just start with one. Find your bridge. Then move towards it, step by step.

See you on the path.

xx

NOTES:

The donation link will stay open for a few more days. If you would like to donate, please head to justgiving.com/team/bridge-2-bridge.

Sean and I are already keen to repeat the Bridge2Bridge in 2026, this time hopefully with more people involved. We would love people to join us for some – or all – of the route. Please drop me a message if you’d like to get involved: mrj.edmondstone@gmail.com.