Paralysed Shrewsbury man forced to delay '777' marathon challenge until January

Darren Edwards – who has already raised more than £37,000 for his challenge – was set to launch his bid to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents next week.

But Mr Edwards revealed those taking part were due to use a Russian plane to travel to the first location, in Antartica.

As a result, they have decided to change to a different one, meaning a temporary delay to the challenge until the third week of January.

Mr Edwards said: "The transport plane we were using to Antarctica was Russian, so we’ve postponed to use a US-owned company instead.

"Frustratingly, I felt ready to go physically and psychologically.

"But, focusing on the positives, I guess it’s another two months for me to train now and get prepared.

"I just need to avoid some stupid injury between now and then, touch wood."

Mr Edwards is aiming to become the first-ever wheelchair user to attempt the '777 World Marathon Challenge' and raise £100,000 for the Armed Forces Para-Snowboard Team (AFPST).

Along with a group of 30, he will start in Antarctica, then head to Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and then finish off in North America.

Mr Edwards suffered a near-fatal accident in 2016 after falling 30ft during a rock climb. It left him paralysed from the chest down but he continues to take part in arduous and inspiring activities, refusing to let his disability dictate what he was able to achieve.

He has previously raised £110,000 for AFPST in June 2021, by leading a group of five injured and wounded veterans in his Kayak4Heroes challenge, which saw them kayak from Land’s End to John o' Groats. They were the first adaptive team to successfully complete this 1,400km journey.

To find out more about the fundraiser, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/darrenworldmarathonchallenge