Emotional ending to Tom’s epic Pedal 3 Peaks challenge in memory of sister Caroline
It was an emotional finish for Northamptonshire’s Tom March as he crossed the line of an epic five-day endurance challenge in memory of his sister and to help fund a cure for paralysis.
Tom pushed himself physically and emotionally to the edge as he cycled over 800 miles and climbed the UK’s three highest peaks in under 100 hours.
The 34-year-old set off from Balmoral Castle and finished four and-a-half-days later at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to an emotional welcome from his proud wife, leading eventer Piggy March, and parents.
It is just over a year since Tom’s sister, talented equestrian Caroline March, died by assisted suicide at a Swiss clinic two years after being paralysed in a cross-country fall. She was only 31.
“It was harder than I thought because after day 2 I lost grip in my hands which meant I couldn’t feed myself on the bike but had to stop to get any fuel on board,” said Tom from Maidwell.
“That added quite a bit of time to each day so you’re starting at 5am or 5.30am and not finishing until 10.30pm or 11.30pm which was really hard.
“On the second day it was also over 240 miles of cycling into a head wind which was unbelievably exhausting physically and mentally but you somehow find something within you to take the next step and keep pedalling.
“And when your legs are hurting and you can’t feel your hands, that’s when you have to have a word and think you’re lucky your legs hurt and you carry on.”
Tom’s Pedal3Peaks endurance challenge began on Sunday, May 11, from Balmoral Castle in Scotland and involved over 116miles of cycling followed by an ascent of Ben Nevis (1,345m).
On Day 2 Tom got on his bike at 5.30am and cycled a staggering 240 miles not arriving at the base of Scafell Pike in the Lake District until 10pm!
Day 3 wasn’t any easier, starting at 5am with an ascent of Scafell Pike (978m) before getting on his bike to cycle around 190 miles (305km) to Snowdonia in Wales, not arriving until 11.40pm.
The penultimate leg was another 5am start for an exhausted Tom who climbed Mount Snowdon (1,085m) before hitting the road again for another gruelling 170-mile ride before the final 80-mile push to complete this epic challenge at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
He is driven to create a positive legacy in Caroline’s memory and to raise awareness and vital funds for Spinal Research, the UK’s leading charity supporting research into new function restoring treatments for those paralysed after a spinal cord injury.
Tom, who runs the March Stud with Piggy at their Northamptonshire yard, added: “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Caroline. And while we couldn’t save her, perhaps we can make a difference and help others who suffer a spinal cord injury.
“When you have someone with a spinal cord injury you see just how much it affects them, what it does to their life. It transforms everything.
“Like many people I was totally naïve and thought being in a wheelchair was just about not being able to walk, but it’s so much more than that. It was something that Caroline did not want to live with, but she also really believed in the need and value of pursuing scientific advances to find a cure for paralysis.”
Every two hours someone in the UK is paralysed after a spinal cord injury. It can happen to anyone at any time and Spinal Research Chief Executive Louisa McGinn said: “We are in awe of, genuinely touched and hugely grateful to Tom and what he has achieved. It is a massive feat of physical and mental endurance.
“Every pound raised by Tom, in Caroline’s memory, will bring us a step closer on the journey to curing paralysis. New function restoring treatments are now available which will truly change lives. More breakthroughs are waiting in the wings, but we need the funds to get them from the lab to the people who need them.”
Tom has so far raised more than £13,500 and to make a donation go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/pedal3peaks#timelineUpdates