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1050km in 43 days

In 43 days Ed walked a total of 1050 km from Seville to Santiago and managed to raise over £3000 to be put towards research into the proactive identification of young people at risk of suicide

By Evelyn Pall, Third Year Philosophy & Economics

Evelyn Pall quizzes fundraiser Ed Whelan about his walking journey is Spain which raised thousands for charity

Whilst many of us may dreaming of having an unforgettable summer, Ed Whelan, second year Economics student, can truly say that he did. In 43 days Ed walked a total of 1050 km from Seville to Santiago and managed to raise over £3000 to be put towards research into the proactive identification of young people at risk of suicide.

Ed set off on his own with only a backpack worth of things and when I asked him about his journey he had a never-ending list of amazing stories to tell.

What was your best moment?

'A pretty good one was day forty, I’d made friends with three other guys roughly my age from Valencia, Ireland and Germany, and we walked for close to twelve hours that day in nearly forty-degree heat. You can’t really beat that feeling of arriving and jumping in the shower. I also got to see the total lunar eclipse, with Mars being visible in the sky just below it, that was pretty mad.'

spain
Part of Ed's walking route (Epigram/Ed Whelan)

What made you want to do this?

'A close friend of mine took his life in December, aged just twenty years old. It left me asking a lot of questions about existence and what life is really about, and I had a strong urge to get away and give myself some time and space to think. A six-week journey on foot seemed the ideal way to do this.'

How do you feel having done it?

'It feels like it was some weird sort of dream, arriving was such an incredible feeling. I feel like the walk helped me a lot with some of the things I needed to sort out in my head and has left me feeling a lot more positive about life, it’s something I needed to do.'

Do you have any tips for anyone who might want to follow in your footsteps?

'If you’re doing it on your own it’s important to take one day at a time, I found it so easy to get caught up in how long I had ahead of me. If I were to do it again I wouldn’t have taken my smartphone and I would have packed a lot less stuff. Oh and don’t wear walking boots, socks and sandals are the future!'

Ed has managed to raise over £3000 but he is still collecting. If you would like to donate you can do so on his justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/marcusinmind

Featured image: Epigram/Ed Whelan


Have you had a similar experience to Ed? Let us know...

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