Where's Alex?

Why would anybody want to get up in the dark, drive for hours, swim 1500m, ride 40km, run 10km whilst carrying a prosthetic leg in a backpack, then put on a business suit and attend a networking event? The obvious answer is that they are mad. That’s clearly not true in the case of our Alex Davis: Alex is the sales director for a cybersecurity and technology company the Equate Group, based in Wendover. He’s half-way through a quest to do a triathlon in every city in the UK, raising funds for three charities as he goes.

And the prosthetic leg? Alex was joined on one of his previous triathlons by television presenter/comedian Adam Hills (The Last Leg, Channel4). Adam had made a bet that required him to surrender his leg to a museum in Stoke Mandeville. It’s a long story, we’ll run it in a future issue.

One of the charities is The National Paralympic Heritage Trust, based in Stoke Mandeville, the home of the Paralympics. Established in 2015, its mission to preserve and share the history of the British Paralympic movement. By creating educational resources, exhibitions, and from this July a Global Virtual Museum, NPHT aims to inspire and educate people about disability using the legacy of the Paralympic Games. It has a permanent free Heritage Centre inside Stoke Mandeville

Stadium, where it celebrates its connection and history with the local community. Access information can be found on its website: www.paralympicheritage.org.uk.

Much of the trust’s educational work is delivered in primary schools across Buckinghamshire and neighbouring counties. NPHT spokesperson, Emma Carroll said “From 2023 to 2028 for every £2 we spend we will positively broaden somebody’s understanding of disability. It will cost NPHT nearly £500k to operate this year, which as a charity we need to raise ourselves. We’re delighted that Alex is raising funds for NPHT with his epic Triathlon Challenge.”

When asked why he chose NPHT he said, “We’re proud of Buckinghamshire. We’re proud of the establishments and facilities like the [Heritage] centre. And [the NPHT] is inspiring businesses to do things which they may not have thought of originally. The stories they share, and through interviews with Paralympic athletes, they share a psyche of how they’ve got where they are now, and who’s helped them on that journey. I think that that’s the big thing for me, just to say you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”

Alex managed to complete triathlons in 32 cities in the second half of 2024 and is now well into completing the last 46. By the time he has finished, he will have swum 72.7 miles, cycled 1,938 miles and run over 484 miles. If you would like to encourage Alex towards this incredible goal, you can donate at www.bit.ly/3EEyjKl.