'I’m dribbling football from Africa to England in time for World Cup to raise money for Staffordshire hospice'
James Lewis is dribbling a football from Africa to England to raise money for St Giles Hospice in Staffordshire in memory of his father David.
A Staffordshire man is dribbling a football from Africa to England - aiming to get back to watch the Three Lions win the World Cup.
James Lewis, 26, from Rugeley, set off from Marrakech on May 1, and has already reached Madrid.
It finally gave him the chance to buy new shoes after 35 degrees Celsius heat melted his trainers. He has also had to fend off packs of circling dogs, a partially torn Achilles, snakes, and a child who kicked his first ball under an oncoming car.
He estimates the challenge will take him 79 days, meaning he’ll be back in time for the World Cup final on July 19.
Despite a controversial squad announcement, football coach James is hopeful Thomas Tuchel’s world-class track record will be a good omen for England’s chances.
James, raising money for St Giles Hospice, said: “I’m exhausted, but I’m on a good schedule, just at the mercy of fate in terms of what happens on the road.
“I don’t think people understand how much harder it is with a football. It would be nice if I were on a nice, even flat pavement, but it isn't. It’s so much harder, I’m zig-zagging on the road, and I have the wind, which adds so many more miles.
“I’m running on rocky trails. Every time the ball hits a rock, it bounces in a random direction. Then you’ve got time when it bounces into bushes, or if I lose control of it going up a hill, I have to go back down to get it, then back up again.”
James has averaged just over a marathon a day, meaning he’s covered over 750 miles in 28 days, with anywhere between 1,250 and 1,500 miles to go owing to detours and the possibility of finishing the challenge at Wembley.
He said detours are more than likely, considering the setbacks he’s faced so far. James said the hardest challenge he has faced is rough sleeping, as he only has a mattress with him and sleeps in the open air.
James said: “It’s hardest on the days I don’t find a bed. On one occasion I’ve slept in a hammock, on two occasions I’ve had to sleep rough - my rucksack weighs 15kg in case I can’t find anywhere, so that’s been a challenge. When I have to sleep outside, it’s really, really rough sleeping, so I’m exhausted the next day, get really agitated, those are the toughest days mentally and physically."
As well as struggling with rough sleeping, the challenge has already thrown up extraordinary obstacles for James. While running through Morocco, he was chased off the road by a pack of wild dogs, leaving him hiding before they disappeared.
James said: “I got run off the road by a pack of circling dogs, which was very intimidating. As I was approaching a small, poorer town in Morocco, where the dogs are more aggressive, there was a long row of them.
“As I got closer, they started barking, the ones at the front came behind me with the others blocking the road ahead, with the main aggressor in the circle half a metre away from me. I started to run in the middle of the road so the cars couldn't get in the way of me and the main one, but they’d just wait and come again. They were snaring and baring their teeth, so I had to leave the ball and hide. Eventually, they cleared off, and I carried on. It was very, very scary.
“It took me two weeks to run through Morocco; it was like running through a different world. Rabat was very clean and wealthy, but down the road were some very small villages where the kids were playing football with carrier bags zip-tied together. It’s been a lot to take in, but the people are great, I've been fed many times for free, and handed fruit and water.”
James is raising money for St Giles Hospice in Staffordshire in memory of his father, David Lewis, who was cared for at the hospice before his death when James was just 11 years old. He has raised more than £55,000 for the charity through previous challenges and is targeting £100,000 from this challenge.
James said: “It is going really well, but it is tough. It is hot every single day, and I am running for around 10 hours at a time, so there is very little time to rest. But I am on schedule, and every donation keeps me going. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. It means everything.”
Elinor Eustace, chief executive of St Giles Hospice, said: “To have raised £11,000 in less than a month is a fantastic achievement. Every pound brings him closer to his £100,000 target, and we cannot wait to see him home.
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