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Thomas is coming close to retirement from the police service, to which he has served over 30 years. While
most would see retirement as a time for accomplishing whatever life ambitions not yet achieved, exploring new
hobbies or sitting at home watching daytime television, Thomas has other ideas.
While it was largely chance that got Thomas involved in charity challenges back in 2006, he has completed
two successive challenges and as little as 2 months after completing the gruelling full length cycle of Vietnam, he set his
sights on the next. For 2009, Thomas has set himself the target of accomplishing Africa's tallest mountan, Mount Kilimanjaro
in Tanzania.
Thomas has had a long standing interest in fitness and his determination ensures he uses his fitness to
its full potential. Holidays in the past few years include cycling the 57 miles perimeter of Arran on a tandem; The West Highland
Way (95 miles - from Milngavie, Glasgow to Fort William, Scottish Highlands); The Great Glen Way (73 miles - from Fort William
to Inverness) and of course the two recent charity challenges - a total of 225 miles or 1,188,000 feet. When thinking Kilimanjaro
has a total height above sea level of as-near-as-makes-no-difference 20,000 feet, suddenly it doesn't seem so tough afterall.
However, I'm sure any rational thinking person will agree that travelling vertically is somewhat more fiendish than horizontally!
Thomas has also trained well to complete numerous marathons, half-marathons and literally hundreds of shorter runs, jogs,
cycles, walks and climbs. Thomas has undoubtedly an incredible level of health and fitness but will have to work extremely
hard to get ready for this one. Afterall, cycling and running use entirely different muscles than climbing above the clouds,
and beyond.
So where does Thomas's motivation really come from? His younger son (i.e. myself) got diagnosed with diabetes
some 15 years ago. While having the desire to fund a cure for obvious reasons, the family also received fantastic news back
in 1999 when Adam won The British Diabetic Association (aka DiabetesUK) Young Achiever of the Year. It was a year thoroughly
enjoyed by the whole family and Thomas promised then to repay the charity that had given his son and family so much. Raising
the estimated £15,000 to date for the charity, Thomas has lived up to his promise and far exceeded it.
Tom completed the full length cycle of Britain in 2007 and Vietnam, in 2008. The completion of this challenge
will allow him to continue this fantastic tradition with that original goal used as his powerful source of motivation.
On 1st November 2009; Thomas successfully completed a quadruple challenge year by accomplishing the Edinburgh
Marathon (in a personal best time); the Three Peaks Challenge (and back down again!); the Kilimanjaro Upandju (even when Roman
Abramovich didn't); and the New York Marathon (in another personal best time)!
2009 will surely be a year to remember...
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