South Coast Ultra: An incredible weekend
It has been an incredible weekend for seven of our blind veterans and their guides who made their way along the South Downs Way to take part in the South Coast Ultra. Their journey was not without drama!
At 8.30am on 5 September our veterans and their guides set off from Eastbourne to walk 25km, 57km or 100km along the South Downs Way.
The group are now resting their aching legs, blistered feet, and in one case glued head, with some already considering taking on the challenge again next year!
There is still time to show your support for our blind veterans by visiting their Justgiving page.
Our South Coast Ultra team
Each veteran had their own reason for taking part and experienced their own journey to the finish line. Find out how they got on:
Jerry
Jerry, 63, walked the full 100km but sadly his guide Anne, who has been alongside him for two previous 100km walks, was forced to withdraw at the 57km distance. Jerry finished the challenge alongside Jack, who had been guiding fellow veteran Rob up to that point.
Jerry crossed the finish line in 28 hours and 30 minutes. He says:
“Another incredible weekend and I’ve come away unscathed with only some tight calves to rest. My guide Anne, who works for the charity and has been by my side for two previous 100km challenges, had to withdraw as her energy levels just completely went. I couldn’t be more grateful to both her and to Jack who took over and got me to the finish line.”
In 2025, Jerry completed the South Coast Ultra with Anne but this year he decided to double his challenge and take on two 100km walks. In May the pair completed the Jurassic Coast Ultra in 27 hours.
Jerry served in the RAF for 13 years. Problems with his sight surfaced in 1996 when he left the RAF but it was not until 2003 that he was diagnosed with stargardt disease which is a genetic eye condition. He says:
“Everyone has one blind spot in each eye but with stargardt disease you have three and mine are growing; I’ve lost my central vision. I also have Charles Bonnet syndrome which means I see things that are not there.
“I was in a dark place initially but since finding Blind Veterans UK my whole world has changed and my confidence to try new things has grown. I’d never walked 100k in one hit but the effort of my other blind veterans motivated me to do it. I wasn’t going to let them down”
Andy
It was third time lucky for Andy, 52, and his wife Angie. In 2024 and 2025, the pair set themselves the challenge of the 100km distance but weather conditions in 2024 and then illness last year stopped them in their tracks at the 57km distance. 2026 was to be their year. Andy says:
“I was not going to let the South Downs Ultra beat me for a third time. Everything fell into place this year and I couldn’t be prouder to have crossed the line."
Andy joined the Army in 1992 and spent 19 years with the Royal Logistics Corps. It was at the age of 37 that retinitis pigmentosa caused a gradual decline in his sight which meant he was forced to retire early from the military. Andy says:
“Blind Veterans UK has invested a lot of time over the years to help me rebuild my life when I’d lost all hope. They made me realise what was possible and gave me the confidence to start doing physical activities again.”
Stu
Stu, 52, completed the 57km distance in 2025 but this year he was back to push himself further. He completed 100km in 30 hours and 50 minutes alongside Rich who works at our Rustington Centre. He says:
“I once again lost some toenails along the way and have a few blisters to contend with. I wouldn’t say it was a blast, but it was an epic experience. It hasn't quite sunk in yet, nothing compares to the process of completing the challenge.
"I've never felt so physically, mentally and emotionally tired."
Stu is grateful for his guide Rich for getting him over the finish line. He says:
"Rich's support and guiding throughout the journey was unbelievable. Every step of the way, he was pre-empting obstacles and how to deal with them. In one place we had to climb over fallen trees. Due to the dry weather, much of the terrain felt like walking on flint and in one section, the path was only one foot wide with a sheer drop on one side and a rock face on the other."
At 70km, my tank was empty but I was determined to keep going. Rich and I played music throughout the night and when we came to the final kilometre, I asked Rich to play the bag pipes of the Gordon Highlanders, the regiment both my grandfather and great grandfather served with. We had it on speaker as we crossed the finish line."
Blind veteran
Stu joined the Army in 1992 at the age of 17 but was discharged due to a medical problem during his first year of service. His sight loss occurred as a result of a brain injury due to a delay in being resuscitated following a respiratory arrest. He spent three years in hospital being rehabilitated.
In addition to the team fundraising page, Stu set up his own and has already raised over £5,000. He says:
“I am blown away by the support I’ve received from my local community. Everyone has got behind me and I didn’t imagine I would raise such a huge amount of money.”
Steve
Blind veteran Steve, took part in the South Coast Ultra last year and completed 25km. This year he had hoped to reach 57km but sadly a fall at 11km forced him to withdraw from the challenge. He says:
“I am totally gutted, all that training and then I fell but I will be back next year; hopefully it will be third time lucky, and I will make the 57km distance. I need to go away and work on my balance as I’d already slipped four times and my guide had prevented me falling. I have a cut to the head which needed to be glued and a big lump but I’m ok.”
Steve was registered sight impaired in 2023 and began being supported by us shortly after.
Karl
Karl, 64, had originally hoped to complete 57km but ongoing health issues with his eyes meant that he had to follow medical advice and instead completed the 25km distance. He says:
“I train along a canal which is a very flat route so I definitely miscalculated how long it would take me to complete the route. I hadn’t taken into account the big hills we would be facing along the way. Together with my guide Aaron, we finished in 12 and a half hours which is a couple of hours longer than I had anticipated so the end seemed to drag on a bit.
“It was fantastic to have the camaraderie of my fellow veterans; you do all get spread out along the course but it is good to know the others are there and it’s inspiring to see them especially Stu who has no sight at all and completed 100km.
“I won’t say never but I won’t be back next year as I need to give my eyes time due to the health issues I’m experiencing before I push myself to do another demanding challenge.”
Karl served in the Army for five years in the 3rd Battalion Fusiliers. It was at the age of 48 that he discovered he had early onset macular degeneration.
Rob
Rob, 57, took part in the South Coast Ultra for the first time this year and completed the distance he was aiming for, 57km. He says:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and a challenge it was; I don’t really have any hills where I live and was met by the first huge hill almost immediately. At around 37km, I suffered a diabetic hypo, but my guide Jack was on hand to tell me to rest for as long as I needed and he fed me lots of jellybeans. It was such a positive atmosphere with everyone wishing each other good luck and stopping to check on anyone who had stopped by the side of the course.
“On Saturday, I said never again but by Sunday morning, I’d found myself agreeing to give 100km a try!"
Rob met Jack, who is a serving member of the British Army, for the first time on Saturday morning and they gelled straight away. Rob says:
"Jack is an absolute hero; not only did he guide me for 57km, but he then stepped in without hesitation to guide Jerry from 57km to 100km. He finished the 100km yesterday lunchtime and was back in uniform for work this morning. I’ve made a lifelong friend in Jack and I got to raise money for the charity.”
Jeff
Jeff, 76, was the oldest member of our team this year. He was hoping to complete 57km but, by the 25km mark he was in too much pain to continue. He says:
“I’m disappointed to have not made it to my target distance but I want to try again now that I know better what to expect. Where I live it very flat and the hills on the route were steep so it was incredibly challenging.”
Jeff served in the RAF as an MT Technician for 22 years. It was at the age of 58 that Jeff lost his sight and he was forced to retire early. He says:
“I was devastated; I swapped three motorbikes for a white cane and dark glasses. I’ve experienced low mood and isolation but Blind Veterans UK has made me feel that I’m not alone and that most things are still possible with sight loss.”
Theresa, who works as a Physical and Outdoor Wellbeing Specialist at our Rustington Centre and has supported our veterans throughout their journey, says:
“This challenge was a huge test of physical and emotional endurance for all our blind veterans that took part. They all showed such strength, resilience and determination to get to the start, let alone the finish, it’s truly inspirational.
“And our guides were all absolute heroes, without them, none of this is possible. Even when they themselves were fatigued and hurting, they persevered and enabled our veterans to cross that finish line.”
There is still time to show your support for our South Coast Ultra team.
If our veterans have inspired you to take on a challenge, or if you would like to join them in next year's South Coast Ultra Challenge, register to access our challenge directory:
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