Jo Fielder will set off from Overton Hill, near Avebury, on June 10 to walk all 87 miles of The Ridgeway National Trail in seven consecutive days. She will walk twelve-and-a-half miles – almost a half marathon – every day.
The walk is a particular challenge for Jo as she suffers with Multiple Sclerosis.
Jo told marlborough.news: “My MS MonSter arrived in my life about three years ago and turned my world upside down. It destroyed my career, bashed me round the head, periodically set my legs in concrete and generally disrupts my day with all sorts of mischief.”
“Its favourite trick is to either hang on my leg or stab me in the shin. I can’t fight it off so I am learning to live with it.”
Jo hopes to raise £10,000 for MS research: “So much exciting research is going on at the moment and I am really positive that, with a bit more funding, they will find a cure. So I am going to walk my little legs off to raise funds for this research through the MS Society.”
“I am also raising funds for the Lambourn branch of Riding for the Disabled Association. They have completely changed my life, my outlook, my physical capability and welcomed me with open arms.”
When the walk passes the local branch of Riding for the Disabled Association, Jo will ride for a short section. She is being joined at that point by Sam Orde, chairman of Riding for the Disabled.
Jo has been training for the walk for several months and has received valuable advice from former Olympic athlete and Marlborough resident David Hemery CBE. David Hemery is also accompanying her on the first section of the walk.
“Most interesting of all is the positive effect all this exercise has had on my legs. At the start of this it was hell. It was hard work, it hurt and I cried. A lot. Five months in and I feel the best I’ve ever felt since my diagnosis. My legs still get painful, but nowhere near as often and my recovery time is way down. My legs are starting to feel like mine again and that is a feeling I haven’t had for three years!”
Jo’s walk will also feature in a Country Rambles radio programme with Clare Balding on BBC Radio 4. It is due to air in September. Jo walked six miles of The Ridgeway with Clare Balding and there will be a follow up once she has completed the whole trail.
All this publicity will, Jo hopes, raise awareness of MS: “A lot of people, think that only men are affected by the disease, but there are three times as many women as men, many in their twenties and thirties. ”
Val Compton, Jo’s mother, told marlborough.news : “I am incredibly proud of her. To actually attempt this when there have been days when she could hardly walk and is in immense pain just shows how determined she is to make the best of things while she can. We all hope she is going to make it – it is the unpredictability of MS that makes it so difficult to deal with. She is incredibly brave and none of it could be done without her wonderful husband, Jake.”
Jo has a blog. If you would like to make a donation to support Jo go to her Mydonate page.
Main photos of Jo and Jake courtesy www.jeremyprout.co.uk
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