Rod’s JOGLE Adventure for Sienna
Rodrigo Freeman recently took on the challenge of running the full length of the UK, from John O’Groats in the Far North of Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall.
Rodrigo who is from Brazil but now lives in Penzance, just 10 miles from his finish line had been contemplating this adventure since 2016 when his friend, Martin suggested doing it.
He decided that this was the time to finally do it and we are honoured that he chose to do it for Reverse Rett in honour of Sienna who has Rett syndrome and is his friend’s, Russ and Sabrina’s daughter.
It was a self-supported trip which meant he was carrying a small tent (the accommodation), sleeping bags, and other essentials whilst sourcing food and drink along the route.
Rodrigo completed his personal Trail JOGLE on Wednesday 18th June 2025 in 37 days, Five days quicker than planned as he knew his daughter was going to Africa so it allowed him a few days to spend with her before she left.
Read on to find out more about this incredible challenge.
Trail JOGLE Final Stats and Fun Facts (Directly from Rodrigo)
Money raised for Reverse Rett: £10,076 plus £2,161.92 Gift Aid = £12,237.92 (Original Target £3000)
Time taken: 37 days 6 hours 12 minutes.
Total mileage: 1247 miles (2007 km), equivalent of 47 marathons (401 Park Runs) – with an average of 33.7 (54.2km) miles per day with a total of 377 hours of moving time.
Total ascent/climbing: 48,048 metres = 5.4 x Mount Everest Total weight loss: 4.3kg Pack weight without any food or water: 5.2kg
Longest Day: Day 29, Bristol to Bridgwater: 45 miles
Day with the biggest amount of climbing: Surprisingly, Day 34, Bude to Port Isaac with 2479 metres.
Hardest Day: Day 18, Middleton to Hawes. Once I posted a little clip saying how bad it was in the Yorkshire Dales, it went from bad to 10x worse up ‘The Great Shunner Fell’, the wind and rain were so powerful that I was scared for my life.
Biggest Crisis: When I crossed the border into Cornwall, my left foot was swollen and very painful to the point I thought it could be the end. Ibuprofen gel saved the rest of my adventure.
Best Scenery: Great Glen, Glencoe, Derwent Forest, Black Mountain, Constantine Bay, St Ives to Sennen, *probably coinciding with my brain being in a happy place and nice weather.
Worst Scenery: Staffordshire Way, I seemed to just have crossed overgrown fields with broken stiles and gates.
Music I listened to: I don’t listen to music when exercising, but every few days, I’d listen to ‘Performance and Cocktails’ by the Sterophonics, once with my loudspeaker and playing air guitar pretending, I was Kelly Jones.
My favourite items on the trip: are Garmin Enduro 3 watch, La Sportiva Dizzle waterproof trousers, Nordisk Lofoten tent, and some thin arm warmers.
Favourite Food: When my friend Bea brought me a homemade vegetable tagine to Malham in Yorkshire.
Worst Food: Lukewarm uncooked porridge sachets
The food items most consumed: Pork Pies
Alcoholic beverage most consumed: Guinness, by a long way.
Fun Fact: I didn’t take a shower gel and mainly used hand soap ‘stolen’ from campsite’s bathrooms. Plastic bags work really well as body sponges!
Nerd Fact: I did at least one French lesson on Duolingo a day to maintain my streak, which is currently at 1675 days, Sophie, my teacher, will be proud.
Memorable Moment: I was zipping up my tent in Glencoe, ready to go to sleep, and stared outside. It was so beautiful, and I felt so lucky to be there.
Kindest Gesture: When one campsite owner found out the only pub in the area had closed early and that I would have no dinner, she brought me a sandwich, fruit, and crisps and returned my camping fee.
Things I missed from daily routine: Going downstairs, making a pot of coffee whilst everyone is asleep and watching Carol Kirkwood give me the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast while rubbing my dog’s ears. I’m looking forward to driving a train again soon.
The most valuable thing I learned: There is no point in dwelling on the past. Every morning is a chance to restart.
A special thanks to Martin, who put this crazy idea in my head in back 2016.
So there you have it, straight from the horses’s mouth, great information for the rest of us who may (or may not) be tempted to do a Trail JOGLE or LEJOG one day.
What an incredible achievement, thank you so much for taking this on to raise money and awareness for Sienna and all our children living with Rett syndrome. It was so amazing and beautiful to see so many people greet Rodrigo at the end of his challenge including his inspiration Sienna and her family.
You can support Rodrigo’s efforts at his Just Giving page HERE
Watch this wonderful video on YouTube of Rodrigo explaining his motivation for taking on Trail JOGLE