Sheffield carer tours UK ‘to test me’

A carer has traveled the UK from John o’ Groats to Lands End to raise funds for the charity after being inspired by his parents’ health challenges.

Luke Wikinson, from Sheffield, set off on his 874-mile attempt at 07:00 BST on June 16 and finally stopped at Lands End at 13:00 BST on Sunday.

The 16-day race meant Mr Wilkinson was able to arrive in Cornwall in time to celebrate his 25th birthday on July 1.

He said: “I wanted to do something difficult to test myself, see what I was – and wasn’t – capable of. It turns out I was capable, but only just.”

He formed a ‘bubble’ with his mother, Ruth, who had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and his father, Iain, who suffered from brain cancer and died in 2020.

Running in the Peak District during that time became a respite from the stress of his role as a young carer, he said.

The grueling challenge from John o’ Groats to Lands End meant Mr Wilkinson ran nearly 80km a day, starting very early in the morning and finishing late at night.

He slept in a rented van and had a team on hand to support him along the way.

Team members were tasked with driving the motorhome and making sure Mr Wilkinson stayed on schedule each morning, as well as making sure he was consuming enough calories and fluids.

Ben Popple and Josh Bonney were his support team on the distance from Gretna Green to Ludlow, helping their friend for a total of five days.

Popple said he had “great admiration” for Mr Wilkinson’s “possessiveness and determination”.

“Every morning I would see him take half an hour to get dressed because he was in so much pain.

“Then he left and we turned to each other and thought, ‘How the hell is today going to go?’ – and always has”.

According to Mr Bonney, the role of the support team was primarily “cook, driver and cheerleader”.

“We drove at 11 at night to quite remote areas just to see if there was a kebab shop open so we could get the calories from it,” he said.

As well as the long days on the road and the task of running 50 miles a day, Mr Wilkinson admitted that “negotiating cars” and road traffic in general was the most difficult aspect of his challenge.

“There were some beautiful parts of Britain to look at but I couldn’t appreciate them because I often had my head down or was too busy avoiding cars,” he said.

As well as the challenge of personal endurance, Mr Wilkinson said he was also motivated along the way by raising money for three charities.

He raised more than £4,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK, surpassing the original target of £500.

He also aimed to raise £500 each for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and eating disorder charity Beat – and those targets were hit in the first two days of his run.

Mr Wilkinson said he celebrated reaching Lands End with a glass of prosecco but admitted his injuries were starting to take their toll.

“The muscles around my shin don’t work anymore and my pinky toes are getting shredded from the friction,” he said.

Arriving at the end of his 834-mile challenge was “exciting”, he said.

“I had an endorphin rush and I felt like crying, definitely thinking about my parents.”

Mr Wilkinson said that after he had rested, his immediate task would be to drive the caravan back to Sheffield, but said that after that, more “scenic” challenges awaited.

“I’d like the next big challenge to have fewer A-roads, so maybe a country I’ve never been to. Maybe Asia would be interesting,” he added.