Victoria Davey, 45 and Sophie Swan, 43, recently took on the Thames Path Ultra Challenge in memory of their colleague John Martin who died of a brain tumour, and in support of others who are living with this cruel disease. They share their story.
We met each other and became friends nearly 20 years ago whilst working for Brakes, a wholesale food supplier. This is also where we met John and worked closely with him for nearly 15 years as we each undertook a variety of roles in the company. It's fair to say that he had a wicked sense of humour, he made people laugh and always had time for others - he was a true gentleman who everyone liked and respected. John’s diagnosis with a brain tumour came as a complete shock. When we saw his condition was worsening, we felt it was important to bring attention to this devastating disease. We've also known and worked closely with others who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and we wanted to show support and help in any way we could, which is why we decided to take on several challenges.
Our first challenge was in 2023 when we decided to sign up for the North Downs Ultra, a 50km trek to be undertaken in one day. We thought it was a significant enough challenge that we could do as a fundraising activity where the money raised would go to a very good cause. We wanted it to be big so people would put their hands in their pockets and support us.
We wanted the money to go to a charity that was doing meaningful work and driving change, and after speaking with John we decided to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research. In the run up to the event, we kept people updated with our training, which took longer and was harder than we expected. The event was in June, so we expected sun, though we bought some waterproof gear just in case. As it turned out this was a good purchase as it rained for 12 of the 13 hours that we walked!
We were soaked, tired and sore but kept going as we knew John, and others, were going through much worse than we were and we wanted to finish what we'd set out to, knowing the money was going to a meaningful cause.
Sadly, John passed away in 2024 and since then we'd been discussing taking on another significant challenge, so earlier this year we signed up for the Thames Path Ultra. There was no discussion or debate, from the moment we signed up we knew we would be fundraising for Brain Tumour Research. The Thames Path Ultra is a 100km walk, tackled over two days that required intense training and commitment. Whilst the training was tough, we're both active and enjoyed pushing ourselves to achieve the miles even when our feet (and backs, and hips!) were sore.
On the event weekend itself, we turned up in the glorious sunshine and set off for what turned out to be another enjoyable but incredibly hard walk. Day one was filled with seeing friends en route, enjoying the scenery and making the most of feeling well prepared. We finished the day in 11.5 hours and were in high spirits. Day two started at 5:45am and it's fair to say was much tougher! From the 75km point onwards we were very stiff, sore and wet (as the rain had joined us yet again!) but spirits remained high and we kept going, knowing that the money we were raising would truly make a difference. After 12.5 hours we crossed the finish line and were immensely proud of what we'd achieved.
Doing this challenge together felt special and knowing that it helped raise awareness of the impacts of brain tumours is really important to us.
Brain Tumour Research has offered so much support from the time we signed up, throughout our training and post event. We got regular updates (and supportive notes!) from Izzy, a Community Fundraiser; she’s been so proactive, making us feel like we’re not just another pair of supporters, we are actually making a difference. This really helped motivate us through the training and the event. We've managed to raise more than £1,500 and want to thank everyone who has donated to us so far. We are hugely grateful and knowing that this contributes to funding research to find a cure makes it even more special.
If Vicky and Sophie’s story has inspired you, why not sign up to the Thames Path Ultra 2027 or donate through their JustGiving page.
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