‘I was determined not to give up’

Resilience is a 1000-miler hallmark

– and it’d be tough to beat that of 66-year-old Sue Harney, who’s fought a serious lung condition, plantar fasciitis and broken bones to emerge victorious with a 1000-mile medal.

‘I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis in 1995. This means that I produce excess fluid on my lungs, which can cause infections if they aren’t clear. It’s important for me to do regular cardio to help manage the condition and clear my lungs – if I didn’t do regular walking the condition would be worse.

‘In the pandemic I was advised to shield, but I couldn’t possibly stay in and not do any exercise. I always aimed for a minimum of 10,000 steps each day, and was doing really well until one morning when I slipped and broke my heel and ankle.

‘After that I started suffering with severe plantar fasciitis, which caused me a lot of pain. It felt like my feet were on fire and, at the same time, like I was walking on broken glass. I had shockwave therapy – 2500 electric shocks on each foot, which felt even worse than the plantar fasciitis. They told me recovery would be slow and could take a year, and they were right.

‘But I was determined not to give up my walking. When I saw the #walk1000miles challenge I knew it would help keep me focused, and I decided to challenge myself in 2022. I find being out in nature helps my mental and physical health. And when I walk I don’t focus on my health problems. I just try to carry on as normal – and having a target keeps me focused on the walking rather than the problems that might stop me from doing it.’