Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 130, May 2020 | Page 24

LOCKDOWN
Captain Tom’s
Record-breaking
Walk
One of the most amazing fundraising
“Lockdown Loops” stories to come out of
the global COVID-19 pandemic is surely that
of 99-year-old British war veteran Captain
Tom Moore, who walked into the hearts
of people worldwide as he broke multiple
records. – BY SEAN FALCONER
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many
countries into lockdown and placing huge
strain on medical services and economies,
so many athletes have stepped up to do their bit to
fight this disease, setting themselves challenges to
raise much-needed funds for medical services and
equipment, or charities working to look after those
most in need during this time. This includes 99-yearold
Second World War veteran, Captain Tom Moore,
who decided he too wanted to help.
Starting on 8 April, he set himself the challenge of
doing 100 laps of his garden in the UK, in order to
raise money for the National Health Service (NHS)
Charities Together fund, and he hoped to complete
the challenge in time for his 100th birthday on 30
April. Progressing much faster than he originally
thought possible, he completed the challenge in just
over a week, on 16 April, with his final laps being
covered live on British television, and with an honour
guard of troops from the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire
Regiment lining the ‘home stretch.’
This was because Tom had become the darling of his
nation. His original target had been to raise £1,000
(approximately R22,000), but after raising £70,000 in
just 24 hours, he extended his target to £1 million.
That target was also passed, on the morning of the
seventh day, and by that evening Tom had already
raised £4 million (about R90 million).
Unifying Song
Even after Tom had completed his walk, the donations
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ISSUE 130 MAY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
continued to pour in. This was further helped when
singer-actor Michael Ball recorded a duet with Tom
of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein song, You’ll
Never Walk Alone, from the musical Carousel, which
most famously enjoyed chart success in 1963 when
covered by Gerry and the Pacemakers. The new duet,
with backing vocals by NHS staff, quickly became the
fastest-selling single of 2020 in the UK, and reached
the top of the UK charts just before Tom’s birthday.
This made Tom the oldest person to have a No.1
single, beating the record set in 2006 by then 68-yearold
Tom Jones. When told of his unexpected chart
success, Tom said, “My grandchildren can’t believe
I am a chart-topper! I have to thank Michael Ball,
the NHS Voices of Care Choir, and everyone behind
the scenes who shared their talents and expertise in
order to raise money for the NHS, to whom we owe so
much. And, of course, the public, for buying the single
and donating – we’re in this together, and this just
proves, You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
By the time Tom’s campaign began winding
down, long after he had actually finished his walk,
fundraising website JustGiving reported that Tom had
broken the platform’s record for the largest total ever
raised through a single campaign, and he was also
awarded a Guinness Record for most money raised
by a charity walk. In the end he raised a staggering
£29 million. That’s equivalent to around R660 million!
“At no time when we started off with this exercise
did we anticipate we’d get anything near that sort
of money,” Tom told the BBC. “It just shows that
people have such high regard for our NHS, and it’s
really amazing that people have paid so much money.
Our brave nurses and doctors are frontline in this
battle… this time our army are in doctors’ and nurses’
uniforms, and they’re doing a marvellous job.”
A Military Man
Tom trained as a civil engineer before being
conscripted into the British Army in June 1940, aged
20, as Britain stood alone against Germany in the
early years of World War Two. After initially serving in a
coastal defence unit, he was later commissioned as an
officer and posted to serve with an armoured battalion
in India and Burma (now Myanmar). After the war, Tom
returned to the UK and became an instructor at the
Armoured Vehicle Fighting School at Bovington, rising
to the rank of Captain. He left the army in the 1960s to
work in roofing and property until retiring at 72.
Today the veteran lives with his youngest daughter
Hannah, her husband Clive and grandchildren
Benjamin and Georgia. Unsurprisingly, Tom’s 100th
birthday became a national day of celebration, and he
received well over 120,000 birthday cards, including a
personal letter from Her Majesty the Queen. Amongst
his gifts was promotion to the rank of Honorary
Colonel of the Army Foundation College. He also had
a train named after him, and he received one of the
London 2012 Olympic torches, believed to be the only
one in existence that can still be lit, and he jokingly
tried to blow it out like a birthday candle.
Thanking everybody for their kindness, Tom said,
“It is quite extraordinary turning 100. It is even more
extraordinary doing so with this many well-wishers!
To be honest, I don’t feel any different, and there is
plenty of life in the old dog yet, I am sure. I am very
comfortable and have everything I need whereas
COVID-19 has left so many without, so please donate
to those in need. Thank you.”
Images: Courtesy ITV, Tom Moore & Wikipedia