Woman at risk of losing her foot finishes triathlon
AWOMAN who was at risk of losing her foot after falling on ice has now completed a self-powered triathlon.
Claire Hughes, 44, slipped while walking in icy conditions around the Blanchland area of Northumberland with her partner James Mackay, 41, in the aftermath of Storm Arwen.
She broke bones in her leg and her ankle was left pointing the wrong direction.
The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) were called to the scene as it would have taken several hours for a road ambulance to reach Claire. The critical care team, based in Langwathby, Penrith, Cumbria, flew to the scene in just over 15 minutes.
The team found Claire, from Wylam, to be at severe risk of losing her foot and developing hypothermia in the -20C wind-chill conditions. She was given emergency treatment in a temporary shelter at the scene to help with the blood supply to the foot.
Claire was then airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, where she underwent surgery to treat breaks on the three main bones of her ankle.
She said: “They said the air ambulance guys had done such a fantastic job of pulling my ankle straight they did me some major favours in terms of recovery.”
Claire recovered well following the fall in the Pennines in November 2021 and decided to raise money for the GNAAS by completing a selfpowered triathlon across England, Scotland and Wales.
Last month, she travelled across the three nations by packraft, bike and on foot, incorporating the longest lake and biggest mountain in each and cycling between them. She has now raised more than £7,500 for the GNAAS.
Claire, who works as a senior project manager, said: “It was so exciting to undertake something which others could actively feel a part of.
“There was the tracker for ‘dot watching’, or folk could pop by and watch me come past, or I even had a few friends who joined for short sections such as a section of a bike ride or to climb a hill.
“The kindness of strangers really blew me away as well – when I did stay on campsites, all insisted on any fee going to my fundraising instead; a lady I had never met before paddled out to meet me for a section of my longest paddle with strawberries and lovely company for a couple of hours; another lady was waiting outside her house with a pint of iced water as she thought I’d need it after cycling up the hill near her house.
“I know I love the outdoors and would be happy being completely outside for a week but the human element to the challenge was an unanticipated joy.”
Claire started her challenge in Wales. She paddled Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala), cycled to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and hiked Snowdon. She then cycled to Newby Bridge, paddled Windermere, cycled to Langdale and hiked Scafell in the Lake District.
For the final section, Claire cycled to Loch Awe and paddled across it, cycled to Ben Nevis and finished with a hike up to the top of Ben Nevis on April 27.
She said: “The finish was amazing. I feel quite emotional still thinking about it. The camera crew and my best friend joined me for the Carn Mor Dearg Arrete which links in to Ben Nevis from the north and is just a lovely route.
“We had all the weather from sunshine to heavy snow but when I eventually crawled on to the summit, more lovely friends were there waiting on an otherwise empty but sunny summit.
“It was a fabulous way to finish lots of laughs, photos and incredible views. We then all went out for a curry and I pretty much fell asleep in my main course.”
Claire paddled 76.6km, cycled 903.32km and walked 45.5km.
The GNAAS needs to raise £8.5m a year to remain operational. Claire has been raising funds for the charity via her Go Fund me online at: www. justgiving.com/page/clairehughes-1689324407825