It is just over a year since talented equestrian Caroline March died by assisted suicide, two years after being paralysed in a cross-country fall from her horse. She was only 31.
Next month Tom, wife of leading event rider Piggy March, is aiming to cycle 870 miles (1400km) from Balmoral Castle to Windsor Castle - and climb the UK’s three highest mountains on route - in just 100 hours.
“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Caroline,” said Tom from Maidwell, Northamptonshire. “And while we couldn’t save her, perhaps we can make a difference and help others who suffer a spinal cord injury.
“Since Caroline’s death, within the wider equestrian and horse racing community, there have unfortunately been other young riders who have suffered similar devastating injuries.
“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.”
Last November Tom and Piggy were joined by some of the biggest names in the equestrian world on a 1,200km endurance bike ride in Caroline’s memory.
They cycled 684 miles in 11 days, braving storms, blizzards and freezing temperatures raising nearly £350,000 for Spinal Research and the British Eventing Support Trust. This time Tom will be on his own.
His 100-hour Pedal3Peaks challenge starts at Balmoral Castle on Sunday, May 11. He will cycle over 100 miles to the base of Ben Nevis before then climbing the 1,345m peak.
Day 2 will involve a staggering 220-mile bike ride to the Southern Lake District followed on Day 3 by an early morning ascent of Scafell Pike (978m) before getting on his bike to ride around 180 miles to Snowdonia in Wales.
On Day 4, Tom will cycle to Mount Snowdon and summit the 1,085m peak before getting back on his bike for another gruelling 200-plus miles ahead of the final 100-mile ride on Thursday, May 13, to Windsor Castle where he will cross the finish line at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Tom, 34, is raising vital funds for Spinal Research, the UK’s leading charity fuelling research around the world into life-changing new treatments and therapies for those paralysed after a spinal cord injury.
“Cycle4Caroline was very much about the power of the group to get us collectively through something that, at times, seemed impossible,” added Tom who runs the March Stud with Piggy at their Northamptonshire yard.
“This time it’s just me. I’m less of a cycling novice now but each day is going to be very long with more than 10 hours in the saddle as well as the mountain climbs, so it will be incredibly tough.
“But this is all about supporting the work of Spinal Research to try to achieve a positive change in Caroline’s memory.”
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: “Tom is a genuine inspiration, and we are incredibly grateful to him and Caroline’s family, friends and the wider equestrian community for their support.
“A spinal cord injury touches all those who love and care about the person paralysed. It affects every aspect of life every single day.
“Today, for the first time, research is delivering new function restoring treatments 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.
“Every pound raised by Tom, in Caroline’s memory, will bring us a step closer on the journey to curing paralysis.”
To donate to Tom’s 100 Hour Pedal3Peaks Challenge go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/pedal3peaks#timelineUpdates