Midlife adventure walking for Maddy
Mark Thomson of Pahiatua is having a “mid-life adventure” — walking the Camino for charity — 1.6 million steps in memory of his stepdaughter Maddy who died in June last year at 17 from cystic fibrosis.
Wearing a t-shirt with Maddy’s photo on it, Mark decided to do the 836km walk which starts in France and ends in Spain after hearing that his father-in-law Terry Wilson had been asked to do it again but this time with a film crew.
“Last year he saw The Way and decided to walk the Camino.
“Maddy wanted to do it too but at that stage was alive but still sick. My father-in-law did the walk and came back a different man. It was quite an experience for him.
“It’s a religious, spiritual pilgrimage that’s been going on for thousands of years — following the walk of St James to his burial place. It starts at St Jean Pied De Port in France. There is an 8km trek over the Pyrenees mountains and then it follows the top of Spain to end at Santiago de Compostela — a walk of 35 days. Around 277,000 people did the Camino walk last year.
“Everyone has their own reason for doing the Camino. For me its about being a better me — a better father for my two children aged four and six years. I started at 151.5kg, spent four months training and lost 25kg. I’m no longer a couch potato,” said Mark
Check it out on the Give A Little website Tommo’s trek for Maddy. Any funds raised go to Cure Kids NZ and Cystic Fibrosis NZ.
Fonterra, Mark’s employer, is sponsoring t-shirts and making a donation on the Give A Little page. Any money raised goes to to help families going through what Mark and his wife went through.
The pilgrimage featured in a 2010 movie, The Way, starring Martin Sheen as an American doctor who, in the wake of a tragedy, ends up walking the Camino in memory of his son.