Hospice supporter, triathlete and patient Sam Perkins crossed the finish line with his team at the Outlaw Triathlon on May 15 despite experiencing the debilitating effects of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Before his diagnosis in 2019, aged just 37 – Sam competed in 40 triathlons including two Ironman challenges. He was determined to take part in ‘one more tri’ and opted for the race as it is local to his home in East Leake.
Despite being reliant on a ventilator and restricted to a wheelchair, Sam is undeterred, and a team of friends and family pushed him through the 13.1 mile running leg of the race on a five-lap course around the rowing lake at the National Watersports Centre.
His wheelchair was customised to support his six foot two frame, making sure Sam is comfortable, that the battery-powered ventilator is secure, and the chair is ergonomically adapted for the pusher.
Sam said: “My original aim was to tackle the event in the summer of 2020 when the plan was to be towed in a boat through the 1.2-mile swim and pushed through the 56 mile bike leg too. But the pandemic forced a delay. My condition progressed and for safety reasons we only took part in the run element.
Sam is raising funds for MND research and hospice care through Stand Against MND, the charity he set up with his wife Emma. They’ve already raised £75,000 through a series of fundraising activities.
Sam, now 40, competed in his first triathlon when he was 28, having trained for three months in an effort to lose weight and get fitter.
Sam said: “In my 20s I was more interested in going to the pub. I was a smoker, weighed about 18 stone and wasn’t particularly fit. But it was such a sense of achievement when I crossed that finish line. I just wanted to do it again and again, and by the end of the first year I’d completed seven or eight sprint triathlons and lost 5 ½ stone.”
Team SAM had plenty of support throughout the day. Sam’s former clubmate Steph Cobb – who was 14 when Sam started taking part in triathlons – took on the 1.2-mile swim, towing a boat containing the weight of Sam.
Sam’s step-father, Nick Rawling, tackled the 56-mile bike course on the same roads Sam used to train on when he could cycle. Sam said: “Nick’s been an incredibly positive influence all the way through my triathlon journey, and at 65 he still has a six-pack!”
Finally, the run saw Sam accompanied by step-brother Tom and carer Alex (who cycle alongside with emergency equipment in a backpack). Three support runners on each lap shared pushing duties.
Also taking part were people who Sam inspired to give triathlon a go, two ex-Nottingham Forest players, Jack Hobbs and Jason Lee and some serious triathletes including Matt Julier who lost his dad to MND (Pictured below).
If you would like to donate please visit: justgiving.com/onemoretri. At the time of writing, the total of money raised was over £11,500, smashing the original target of £10,000.
All photography by Ryan Sosna-Bowd.
