Veteran cyclist Gerard McCarten is to start another epic challenge next month to raise funds for another charity close to his heart.
An exciting send-off will greet the 85-year-old Whitehaven cyclist when he gets back in the saddle to cycle the height of the world’s tallest mountain.
Headteacher James Blackwell and Allyson Quayle, of Jericho Primary School in Whitehaven have given permission for the launch of this daunting challenge to be held at the school on October 1 at 11am.
A rousing send-off is envisaged with the children of Jericho Primary School already practicing their singing of The Grand Old Duke of York.
Gerard will undertake the challenge and will be joined on the day of the launch by friends and cycling colleagues Ged Brear, of Whitehaven and Mike Cowley, of Beckermet.
Ged and Mike were legend bike riders and local cycling champions in their respective cycling clubs, Kent Valley Wheelers and Derwent Valley Wheelers, in the 1960s and beyond.
Ged would go on to dominate local cycle races for over three decades and Mike gained honours riding for Great Britain in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Road Cycle Race and wear the GB colours in four World Championships. He was also a professional rider for three years and a multiple stage winner in several Tours of Britain.
Gerard has recently completed his challenge of climbing the combined heights of the highest mountain peaks in England (Scafell 978 metres), Ireland (Carrauntoohil 1,038 metres), Scotland (Ben Nevis 1,345 metres) and Wales (Snowdon 1,085 metres) – a total of 4,446 metres or 14,583ft in just three days.
Now, and not without controversy, McCarten will be attempting to reach the height of the tallest mountain on Earth which is measured from base to peak at 10,205 metres or 33,500 feet.
For his challenge McCarten has chosen an inactive volcano in Hawaii called Mauna Kea. In native Hawaiian tradition and prayers Mauna Kea is known as Mauna a Wakea, The Mountain of Wakea.
Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth but when measured from base to peak Mauna Kea is taller than Everest by more than a kilometre, though more than half of the inactive volcano is under water.
Undeterred by this daunting challenge Gerard hopes to bring awareness of a rare eye condition called Sorsby Fundus Dystrophy.
SFD causes similar symptoms to age-related macular degeneration but generally affects people at a younger age.
It was this condition that Gerard’s wife Margaret became aware of when in her 40s. At that time Margaret had her dream job, working in the accounts department of Smith Brothers, Hensingham.
Every month the books, large handwritten ledgers, almost three feet across, filled with rows and columns of worldwide transactions, had to be balanced to the nearest penny.
It was a job she loved. Blessed with the hand/eye co-ordination of a typist and piano player, Margaret was personal secretary to the managing director of Cumberland Cloth Factory, Northside, Workington, and trained to be a piano player, figures would fly off the page and into the calculator without a glance at the machine. A perfectly balance page of accounts was the result in rapid time.
Then, after 17 faultless years, the page failed to balance. The audit was stopped while the team looked for the missing figures. It was then Margaret noticed that the row of figures, once perfectly horizontal and in apple-pie order, had become a wavy line.
It was a job she could no longer do. Smiths sent Margaret to the private eye consultants at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle where, in spite of the best treatment, and the stage of research at that time, no more could be done.
It was only after genetic testing was Margaret’s condition found to be caused by one of several mutations in a gene called TIMP3, on chromosome 22q. It is thought that the mutation causes cells to make a harmful version of the TIMP3 protein.
There is still a long way to go before a cure is found, though the symptoms can be alleviated to a degree with high doses of Vitamin A which can reverse night-blindness in people with SFD.
The Macular Society has invested millions of pounds into research since it was founded in 1987. Gerard hopes he can make a positive contribution by raising awareness of this very rare genetic eye condition and possibly raise contributions to further assist the ongoing research work.
Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected by macular disease and many more are at risk. The disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement. There is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 700,000 people, usually over the age of 50.
To honour the first anniversary of Margaret’s death on October 9, Gerard will dedicate the whole of October to the memory of Margaret in his attempt to reach the height of Mauna Kea.
Gerard will hope to attain his target of 10,205 metres by riding a total of 1,737 circuits on Balmoral Road and going no further than 50 metres from his front door. On each circuit he will attain a height of 5.875 metres.
Gerard is delighted with the level of support his project is receiving from his two friends, the Macular Society, Jericho Primary School, Whitehaven, Myers and Bowman Toyota, Workington and his friends and family.
Donations can be made on the Macular Society Just Giving page.
For more information about macular disease, or for help and support call the Macular Society on 0300 3030 111, visit www.macularsociety.org or email help@macularsociety.org
