75 marathons in 85 days!

7 April 2021

This June, NHS Clinical Psychologist, Tom Crossland (aged 40, from Reading) is taking on an incredible 1,900-mile run around the coast of England and Wales, to raise awareness of the needs of survivors of trafficking.  The goal is to raise £20,000 for the TRIBE Freedom Foundation, a charity inspired by a 1,000-mile run, in 2017, to set up the first UK home for trafficked children.

Tom Crossland was born with cerebral palsy. He was not able to walk until he was over 3 years old and as he grew up, he found it difficult to maintain his balance and stay on his feet. Running never came naturally to him and it still takes daily training, strengthening work and effort to run. It’s only through years hard work, determination, persistence and meticulous planning that he has been able to complete ultra-endurance running challenges, such as the 180 mile Grand 2 Grand Ultra, from the Grand Canyon. There is limited research on aging and cerebral palsy, but it is clear that people’s physical ability can decrease quickly as they age and so Tom is determined to get as much out of life, doing what he loves, whilst he still can.

‘I fell over all the time… I had a permanent hole in the left knee of my trousers and a permanent graze on my left hip. This never stopped me from being active, however, and taught me that success is not measured by how many times you fall over but by how many times you get up.’ said Tom. 

Setting off from his home near Henley-on-Thames on 2 June 2021, Tom will run the equivalent of 75 marathons in 85 days, supported by a small number of friends, family and members of the TRIBE community. Alongside Tom’s incredible run, there is a 1900-mile virtual challenge for teams to complete over the same time period to encourage people to get outside and active whilst additionally raising funds for TRIBE Freedom Foundation.

All funds raised by Tom will be going to TRIBE Freedom Foundation, a UK charity that works to fight modern slavery across the UK, by raising awareness, providing funding and support for frontline projects to fight modern slavery and working on projects to equip survivors with the long-term services to overcome their previous exploitation. 

Talking about the reasons why Tom wants to support trafficking survivors, he said: ‘Through my work and adventuring, I have developed a deep gratitude for the being born in the UK and the freedoms this allows. I am passionate about fighting for human rights. Over the past few years there have been large numbers of people entering Europe in search of asylum, freedom and safety. The reality is, that in their desperation, people will use their life savings to pay human traffickers to help them reach mainland Europe and the UK.’

His journey is one of overcoming obstacles, pushing his body and mind to its limits and then even further than he can imagine. This can only be achieved through practising self-care, mindfulness, being focused and in the moment and some epic teamwork.