Just Champion - Bob and Tommo go the extra mile with Newmarket trek

Where is the challenge in walking 100 miles when you have conquered cancer and the Grand National? You would think Derek Thompson would know better.

At the start of lockdown he bet his old friend Bob Champion a bottle of champagne he could not complete 100 miles on foot, to get fit and boost his chances of surviving Covid-19 if he contracted the virus.

Champion, whose defeat of testicular cancer and Aintree victory on Aldaniti is part of racing folklore, has been walking up and down Newmarket Heath ever since.

Thompson joined him on his trek and the pair are now on the verge of clocking up 1,000 miles each.

To mark their achievement they have invited ten members of the public to join them next Tuesday morning, July 21, and walk the final four miles needed to reach the 1,000 mile landmark.

They are asked to seek sponsorship, with any money raised going to the Bob Champion Cancer Trust.

Champion, 72, has lost more than a stone in weight and said: "What started as a bit of fun has actually become a really positive thing for me both physically and mentally to pass lockdown time and stay fit. I was a bit heavy when the virus came and I thought 'I don't want to die if I get it, I have to get fit'.

"I've been doing between eight and 13 miles a day. I haven't missed a day, through rain, sunshine and the lot, and I know every blade of grass on the gallops. Tommo has walked a lot with me - but I haven't seen the bottle of champagne yet!"

Anyone wishing to join Champion and Thompson on the last leg of their walk can email lucy@bobchampion.org.uk or message the Bob Champion Cancer Trust via social media.

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