Tom March has raised more than £11,000 for Spinal Research in an extraordinary feat of endurance, culminating in an emotional finish at Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Tom cycled nearly 870 miles from Balmoral to Windsor, climbing the UK’s three highest peaks along the way. He carried out the feat in memory of his sister, Caroline March, who ended her life at a clinic in Switzerland in 2024 aged 31, two years after she was paralysed in a cross-country fall.
Last year, Tom and his wife Piggy were among those to collectively raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Spinal Research and the British Eventing Support Trust in the Cycle4Caroline challenge. This latest challenge is one Tom has undertaken on his own, with vehicle support provided by Piggy’s sister Nini.
He told H&H it was “very emotional” riding down the drive into the show.
“On the ride there have been moments where you feel the emotion coming and I think the level of exhaustion is obviously a big part of it. There comes a moment where it all comes flooding out,” he said.
“There have been moments that have been thoroughly unpleasurable, quite a lot of them. And there have been moments that have been quite enjoyable – not necessarily the things that you would maybe think.
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“I remember we were right at the end of day three, which I think we finished at 11.40pm flying down a mountain, following a 7km climb right near the end of the day. Then suddenly descending in the dark with just you, silence and your headlight to see where you’re going.
“Climbing through the Lake District as the sun was going down on day two at the end of 400km… there are little moments that stand out.”
He said that he has a “much longer list” of harder moments, adding: “The worst was a bit going through Preston and I felt dreadful. Just feeling like you have a hell of a long way left to go and nothing left to give.”
Speaking to H&H at the finish line, he said: “Right now [my body] actually feels ok. Everything sort of gets going. Waking up this morning was very hard work. You’re lying in bed and your whole body feels as stiff as a board. Trying to persuade everything that it can move and your eyes can open and you can wake up and you can sort of function. It’s been exhausting. I’m not sure at any stage of my life I’ve had less sleep over four-and-a-half days or done more exercise that is for sure!
“We stopped at a cafe to grab a coffee this morning on the way down and you sit there for five minutes and feel as if you’re nodding off.”
He added: “The days kept getting longer and harder, especially with no sleep, but what kept me going was remembering why I was doing it, to raise money and awareness for Spinal Research, and in the darkest moments, that gave me the strength to dig deep and keep moving.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
