Devon Dad takes on on 117-mile Two Moors Way Ultra 2022 inspired by son’s brain tumour diagnosis 

News Desk
Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2022 - 23:21

Tom Adams will take on this epic challenge for his three-year old son Barney, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2020.

The Devon Dad of three, will take part in the infamous Two Moors Way Ultra 2022 this weekend; a gruelling 117 coast-to-coast race across the county, starting in Wembury on Saturday morning before crossing both Dartmoor and Exmoor and finishing in Lynmouth.

Tom’s mammoth challenge will be raising vital money for The Brain Tumour Charity who work tirelessly to fund research that helps improve the outcomes of unfortunate children whom suffer from this disease.

This non-stop event will challenge every sinew in Tom and his fellow friend and race companion Nick Wheatbag. It’s a true feat of endurance.

Tom says: “It’ll take about 30 hours. The guys that win it normally take about 25 hours. If we’re going well, 30-32 hours is possible but if you get injured you lose time very quickly. It really catches up with you and this is a really hilly course. I’d be pretty disappointed to be finishing at midnight on Sunday – I haven’t taken the day off on Monday yet!”

For Tom and his young family; wife Hannah and his three children, Scarlett, Barney and just three-month old Dennis, the challenge has a very personal meaning. 

Back in the Spring of 2020, Tom and Hannah’s son, 13-month old Barney, began showing signs of balance problems and was suddenly unable to support his weight.

After no sign of improvement and having spent a few days in hospital, an MRI scan revealed that Barney had a 9cm ependymoma brain tumour. 

This devastating news led to Barney undergoing two major brain surgeries in April and May followed by nine weeks of gruelling chemotherapy.

Despite his first two surgeries, not all of Barney’s tumour could be removed and the family faced the ordeal of a third surgery. Barney was operated on in August by Conor Mallucci, a paediatric brain surgeon in Alder Hay, who successfully removed all of the remaining tumour. The family then travelled to Essen in Germany for a six week program of Proton Beam Therapy.

Barney’s resilience in the face of his diagnosis has spurred Tom and Hannah on to raise funds and awareness of brain tumours. The Two Moors Ultra 2022 is something Tom had set his heart on shortly after Barney completed his final treatment in 2020.

Tom says: “I’m not a pedigree runner but I always did a bit of sport at school and kept myself fit. I have a competitive family and when my brother decided to run a marathon some years ago, I decided that I ought to beat his time. After this, I kept the sport up by doing the occasional and very casual 10K or half marathon race. 

“When Barney first got diagnosed, we both had to stop work to focus on some pretty major stuff. After his first two surgeries, Barney became an awful sleeper and would regularly wake up at 4am. I borrowed a fancy Thule running buggy from a friend and would regularly take Barney out in it. The motion of running would put him back to sleep and I would often find myself running for a good couple of hours.

“You can’t really leave a kid who’s going through chemo screaming in his bed in the morning so it made sense. It allowed everyone else and especially Barney to get some sleep.”

Tom would continue with the buggy running when the family were in Germany – the different times of the Proton Beam Treatments played havoc with Barney’s sleep and eating cycle. Dad and little son Barney would buggy jog to calm and rest him.

So for Tom, the 117-mile race now looms but the challenge he says, is a walk in the park compared to what Barney has had to endure. Still, the epic race remains daunting.

“I am nervous but it’s out of your control if you pick up an injury. A niggle after 20miles can become something quite serious down the road. You have to stop, you have to sort it our straight away. 

“I’m fearful of not being able to complete it due to injury – that keeps me up at night a bit. With my current levels of fitness, I can easily just go out and run a marathon, and could probably even do this carrying a small injury. If you pick up an injury and you’ve got another 80 miles to reach the finish line, then that’s a different matter altogether.

“You have to eat and drink as much as you can without giving yourself a stitch or feeling sick. There’s a couple of things; never let your heartrate get too high and always keep eating and drinking. You also want to save certain foods until later in the race you try and avoid really sugary stuff until you absolutely need it – a sugar rush can throw you off.

“In the end though, this is nothing compared to what Barney has gone through.”

The family’s fundraising won’t be finished this weekend though. Hannah, currently three months post-partum and enduring the sleepless nights that their new born son Dennis is providing her with, plans to take up the coast-to-coast route later in the summer. She has organised this over over days and will be joined by friends and family.

The Brain Tumour Charity is the UK’s largest dedicated brain tumour charity, committed to fighting brain tumours on all fronts.  

They fund pioneering research to increase survival and improve treatment options as well as raising awareness of the symptoms and effects of brain tumours to bring about earlier diagnosis.  

The Charity also provides support for everyone affected so that they can live as full a life as possible, with the best quality of life.

Anyone affected by a brain tumour can get in touch for support and information on 0808 800 0004 or by emailing support@thebraintumourcharity.org

Find out more: https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/