Alex Flynn. Photo: Luis Escobar
An adventurer who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease will attempt to a vertical marathon, using his home staircase.
Alex Flynn plans to start his challenge at 6am on Friday, with the aim of making 3,510 ascents and descents of his stairs, covering 26.2 vertical miles, or 138,336ft.
He said the challenge will entail climbing 2.3 times the height of Everest.
Flynn is undertaking the challenge to raise funds for the Parkinson’s UK critical appeal to help them provide support to scared and vulnerable people with Parkinson’s disease during the coronavirus pandemic.
The challenge during Covid-19 isolation is part of his 10MillionMetres campaign, during which the athlete has completed many marathons, ultra-endurance races, and triathlons.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 12 years ago at the age of 36. The progressive neurological condition causes involuntary tremors, slow movement and a stiffening and lack of flexibility in muscles.
Flynn said his diagnosis became the catalyst in his life for showing people the possibility of creating positive change in the face of adversity. His goal is to raise more than £1m towards research for a cure for the disease.
Among his achievements are: completing the gruelling 250km Marathon des Sables across the Sahara; running 160 miles across the Bavarian Alps in 52 hours; 1,457 miles from London to Rome in 30 days to meet the Pope, 400 miles of which was run with a stress-fractured right tibia and completing the first 20 marathons in 10 days; and becoming the first person to traverse the 3,256 miles from Santa Monica to New York using four distinct disciplines. He achieved this distance in 35 days and appeared on BBC One, One show over two consecutive nights.
In 2013 he crossed 200km of the Amazon Jungle, climbed and ran 90km of the Dolomites and 236km across the Colorado Rockies, achieving all three within an eight-week period.
In January 2014, the 10MillionMetres Challenge was completed at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. He had covered a distance more than 6,200 miles around the world.
Subsequently, in the summer of 2015, he competed in the Men’s Health USA Ultimate Guy Competition, successfully reaching the final nine competitors out of over 1,000 including Special Forces and the US Marines. He was also honoured by the then UK Prime Minister, David Cameron.
The following year brought a new challenge attempting 5,566 press-ups in 22 days to raise funds and awareness of PTSD, which affects military personnel and first responders. He managed to continue for 18 days reaching total of 3,762 press-ups before his shoulder gave out.
In February 2017, Alex Flynn returned from the Arctic after attempting a 450km expedition of Sweden’s Kungsleden in temperatures of -29C. His participation was cut short due to ripping a tendon in his right ankle. Undeterred, he continued to pull a 135lb pulk and 10kg backpack across a further 25km, including two mountain passes before the onset of hypothermia caused him to call it a day.
Alex Flynn has completed numerous challenges across the globe. Photo: Luis Escobar
In 2018, he undertook the brutal Lost Islands Ultra in Fiji, flying round the world to present the Alex Flynn award for and on behalf of the Cure Parkinson’s Trust and two weeks after finishing the Fiji ultra, Alex completed the Virgin Money London Marathon.
In September 2018 he flew to British Columbia, Canada to take part in Primal Quest. As part of a team, which included five-times world adventure racing champion Mike Klosser, they took on the Primal Quest Pursuit Race across 240 miles of mountainous and challenging terrain including glaciers, and whitewater rapids in big Bear Country. The team completed the challenge in four days and five hours despite Alex suffering badly with Parkinson’s and also a slipped disc in his neck cutting off any feeling to his right arm and hand.
Future plans will see him take on the 4deserts Grand slam – Atacama, Gobi, Namibian deserts and also the Antarctic – with the hope of climbing Mount Everest in 2021.
He said: “I’ve decided to do this as there has to be better treatments or even a cure for a disease that robs, the young and old alike, of their independence, their ability to move, talk, swallow, have sex, write, in fact everything most people take for granted.
“If I told you that the youngest person diagnosed was a two-year-old boy you might come close to experiencing the anger I feel towards this disease. We have to do something.
“I want a cure for millions around the planet and hope you do too. Together we can make change happen!”
Flynn has set up a JustGiving page for his latest challenge, with a target of raising £1,300.
He also plans to stream his attempt on Facebook.
