Yes, I could talk the talk… now it was time to walk the walk.
A walking marathon to raise funds for a very worthwhile charity seemed like a great idea at the time but, as the big day moved ever closer, I did begin to question my sanity.
In the past, I had always shied away from participating in events of this type. So I’d decided that jumping out of a plane or climbing a mountain simply wasn’t for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to try to join the millions who raise thousands of pounds for good causes in this way – it was more that I couldn’t face the prospect of letting anyone down.
So what changed my mind? I have previously shared with you the plight of our patient, friend and famous football striker Marcus Stewart, his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and how he plans to raise £100,000 for the Darby Rimmer Foundation.
This was set up by former Liverpool player Stephen Darby and his close friend and British Forces veteran Chris Rimmer. They aim to raise awareness, funds and assist with the research into a cure for MND and support those affected by the disease.
When Marcus and his wife Louise told of us of their plans to take part in a marathon walk around London, I couldn’t say no. How could I plead that I don’t have the fitness or endurance to my friend who would be doing the marathon himself while suffering from MND. Also, as was explained to me, this was purely a walking marathon so surely I could get through that with a bit of training?
I managed to rope in my wife Jenny and fellow clinic chiropractor Catherine and did actually start training in November and going out for walks – then it all stopped in December. To be fair, the week before the marathon at the end of January, I did a quick 4k. I was very concerned to feel how much and how long my legs ached for after a short jog that constituted less than 10 per cent of the 42k I was going to have to do a week later. I decided to pack pain killers.
The ‘preparation’ continued the night before in London with a nice meal and a bottle or wine or two. When we arrived at The Oval cricket ground for the start of the event, we met the others – a lovely group consisting of 18 of Marcus and Louise’s nearest and dearest, one fully dressed as an aubergine!
It was then that I realised I was the only person to have done the equivalent of no training. But, after a pretty basic warm up, we set off, aubergine and all. The first 10k was not too bad and, when we got to the first rest stop, everyone was in buoyant mood with smiles all around. I quietly assessed how badly my feet were hurting already but decided not to tell anyone just yet – there would be plenty of time for moaning later.
I was slightly perturbed by how Jenny and Catherine seemed keen to set some sort of speed record. Jenny runs about 50k a week and Catherine enjoys the treadmill, so maybe I didn’t pick the best teammates. The only thing I remember about the next 10k was all the sights we saw – Big Ben, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge all came and went in a haze. The lunch break marked the halfway point as we completed the east loop of the River Thames and arrived back to The Oval, where they sadistically made us walk up a series of stairs to get our lunch! I could feel myself starting to limp so I sat down and ate my fill.
Just 20 minutes later we got up so that we wouldn’t seize up… but it was too late for me. As we left the comfort of The Oval, I felt my mood lower. My mind simply couldn’t comprehend walking away from the finish line with seizing, painful legs after already completing 21k. I started to moan. Firstly I started to moan to Jen and Catherine, then to others in Marcus’s group and then simply to strangers. I found complaining about how the pain kept moving from my feet, to my knees, to my groins and hamstrings made me feel a little better!
Finally – and miraculously, in my case – after eight hours of walking for 42k, we could see the finish line. It was emotional. There were volunteers clapping and cheering us as we crossed the line.
All the pain and agony was worthwhile as we discovered that the huge effort by everyone involved had raised more than £30,000, the largest sum ever recorded by a single group doing the London Winter Walk.
The journey home was tortuous and I have never felt happier to have a bath – I don’t remember getting into bed. For some reason, I worked the next day, when I had to rely on my patients to help me get back upright after I treated them.
I’m not saying that I would do it again but, in a masochistic sort of way, I think I may have enjoyed the experience. I didn’t think that, during my lifetime, I would ever complete a marathon and the three of us raised £2,250 towards a wonderful charity that is dear to our hearts.
For those of you who would like to support Marcus and Louise in their quest for raise money and awareness for MND, keep an eye out for a huge charity game at The Memorial Stadium on May 13. There will be some superstars playing!
Photo by Fitsum Admasu on Unsplash
