Mission accomplished! John Evans from Torrington completed his amazing year-long walking challenge two weeks early on Friday 16th December 2022 with an epic final walk of 41 miles.
On 1st January 2022, John set out to walk an incredible 2,022 miles in 365 days – the equivalent of walking from North Devon to Sotisaari in Finnish Lapland. Walking an average of 5.5 miles a day, whatever the weather, John’s mileage was always outdoors and on top of the usual steps included as part of ordinary life.
Through the year, John completed 868 separate walks which amounted to five million steps! He also raised a total of £2,885 in donations from nearly 100 supporters for local childhood bereavement charity, Families in Grief (FiG).
So what were the highs and lows? “It certainly wasn’t easy and there were times I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew!” says John. “Low lights were definitely the last five miles of the South West Coast 50km challenge and battling the Devon rain so regularly! On the upside, I really enjoyed exploring so many new places and now have one heck of a photo album. I also loved walking at night.”
Emma Marston, Director of Families in Grief, says: “We’re all incredibly proud of John for completing this challenge – such an incredible feat! The funds raised will help to make a positive difference to the lives of bereaved children, young people and their families across North Devon. Having fundraisers like John means that we can continue to provide our bereavement support free of charge. Thank you, John – you are such a star!”
Another piece of good news is that John has discovered both the physical and mental health benefits of walking, come rain or shine. He says “Doing this challenge certainly sparked something in me. I may not be walking for charity in 2023 but I still hope to complete around 1500 miles this year so you will still see me around!”.
It’s not too late to support John on his walking challenge. Simply click here to donate via his giving page.
Other walk highlights:
- 2,066 miles covered in total (44 miles above target)
- 868 walks completed (longest 41.8 miles, 12 walks over 20 miles, 5 walks over 31 miles)
- 131,624ft of total elevation gain
- 675 hours and 51 minutes spent walking
- Walked on 345 of 365 days