If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise … because if it happens to be a Saturday morning at Lochend Woods in Dunbar, the chances are you will witness a priest in clerical collar – and possibly a kilt – taking part in the weekly parkrun as training for a ten-day coast-to-coast run across Iceland.

On 22 August, the Rev Diana Hall will set off from Akureyri on the north coast of the island at the start of a 209-mile traverse which will include crossing half a dozen rivers, four days of seeing nothing but volcanic sand, wild camping at night, and passing only a handful of places of civilisation en route – specifically, three mountain huts, one of which is reputed to have electricity. And all of this will take place in temperatures ranging from minus five to 20 degrees Celsius.

It’s fair to say Diana likes a challenge.

For the past seven months, the Rector of St Anne’s Scottish Episcopal and Methodist Church in Dunbar has been in training for the Great Norse Run, described as ‘a team adventure like no other’. The event’s website says: “Iceland is home to some of the largest glaciers in Europe and some of the world’s most active volcanoes. We’re going to be passing over these whilst waving goodbye to stress with a ten-day trip of a lifetime.”

Whether this is everyone’s idea of ‘waving goodbye to stress’ is open to debate, but for Diana – who admits that ‘two years ago I couldn’t run the length of myself’ – the challenge sounds crazy yet in fact it makes perfect sense. To understand why, a bit of context is required.

“I’ve never been a sporty person,” says Diana. “At school I used to get sick notes to get out of cross country running because I hated it so much.

“But at the age of 30 I realised I needed to get myself into better shape, and I started doing couch-to-5k. In the dark. Over the course of a year, I lost six stones. I trained for a half marathon, then decided I wanted to do a full marathon, in Paris. Just before it took place, there was a bereavement, and I dropped out. Ever since then I have had unfinished business.

“I came out of Covid overweight and needed a better life balance, and in 2022 I joined an outdoor gym – again under the cover of darkness. I found that was really good for my mental health and self confidence.

“In 2023, just as I had got fit and healthy, my mum was diagnosed with cancer. I was sucked into the vortex of caring for someone who was sick and dying. My prayer life wasn’t in a good place. But I found that the rhythm of running offered me a meditative place, often surrounded by natural beauty. It gave me a space to remember that God was in the midst.

“I found life very difficult after my mum died. My grief reaction was physical, and I just couldn’t run when I needed to run. But eventually I started out again last winter, and I was inspired by a book called Running to Resurrection by Clark Berge. The author talks about running as a contemplative practice.

“It had been a very difficult year, and I felt I needed a new challenge to focus on. A marathon didn’t seem a big enough challenge, and then I saw the Great Norse Run advertised online. My immediate thought was that there was no way I could do that. Then one night after a glass of wine, I hovered the mouse cursor over the ‘Book now’ button, and clicked it.”

Diana’s 20-week training plan of running, weightlifting, stretching and mobility – and how to rest – has put her on track for this incredible challenge, with almost 600 miles clocked up in training so far, including a DIY full marathon in July. Careful time management has allowed her to combine this schedule with her responsibilities as a full-time Rector, member of the Provincial Standing Committee, and an approved Supervisor in the Methodist Church.

At Lochend Woods parkrun, there have been appearances in clerical collar and more recently in kilt – a stiff challenge for someone who doesn’t do skirts. These special request appearances have helped to increase the funds Diana is raising for Rock2Recovery, a charitable organisation working with military and blue light personnel who have had damaging experiences of stress.

“I’m probably a pacifist so this might not seem like a natural fit,” says Diana, “but the fact is that people do suffer in these roles and they need support. There are people going on this expedition who say that without Rock2Recovery, they would be dead.“

There is now talk of the fundraising effort receiving an additional boost if Diana is prepared to do a gym workout in a cassock – and as for completing the Iceland challenge in clerical collar, well, Diana says she would listen to offers.

“There has been a lot of laughter and support at Lochend Woods parkrun, which has been a big help,” she says. “I’ve trained hard but the distances are not as far as I will run during the event, which includes one day when we will run 50 kilometres.

“I should point out that I’m not the oldest taking part – but I think I am the only priest!”

Diana will need thermals, waterproofs, midge protection and Factor 50 sun cream – “a bit like Scotland, really, apart from the ski goggles I will need for volcanic sand” – and she will have to eat every 30 minutes to keep her body strong enough to go on. There might also be a hip flask sneaked into her backpack – each participant has to bring something from home, and Diana’s taste of Scotland is likely to be a bottle of cask-strength Springbank malt whisky.

“I still don’t know if I can really do it,” she admits. “If I find the limits of what I am physically capable of, and don’t complete the distance, that’s okay. I’ve already done more than I ever thought I was capable of doing.

“The process is all about overcoming adversity and pushing your limits. I’ve learned a whole heap of things about resilience, adapting and choosing to go on even if you think you can’t. And I believe that if we keep going, we find we can do hard things.”

Anyone who would like to sponsor Diana can do so by clicking here.

 

[Main photo courtesy of Rich Taylor, second image courtesy of Val Hale]