Quadriplegic man completes London sporting treble after life-changing accident

Quadriplegic man completes London sporting treble after life-changing accident EXCLUSIVE: Mike Ashton described swimming two miles through London's Serpentine as his toughest sporting challenge yet, revealing how his spinal injury forced him to adapt his technique and swim on his back A man who was paralysed from the shoulders down in a cycling accident has completed the final piece of an extraordinary London endurance treble. Swimming on his back, Mike Ashton, 63, spent more than two-and-a-half hours using his arms to propel himself through the Serpentine, completing the London Classics after previously taking on the London Marathon and RideLondon. Just a month after taking part in RideLondon, Mike sustained a C7/T1 spinal cord injury in a cycling accident abroad, leaving him paralysed from the shoulders down. Seven years later, he has returned to the London sporting stage to complete his toughest challenge yet. The two-mile swim proved to be the toughest of the three challenges for Mike, whose spinal cord injury means he cannot lift his head for long enough to breathe while swimming on his front. He told the Mirror: “The swim was the hardest, I think it’s harder so I have to swim on my back. And if you’re swimming on your back you get a lot of water flicked over you by people swimming past you, you’re constantly swallowing in water. “It’s just a slow process. Although, I unbelievably overtook 12 people.” Ahead of the event, Mike trained regularly at the gym to build his endurance but found the chilly conditions more challenging than anticipated. However, giving up was never an option. He said: “I don’t think there was the slightest thought I might give up during the event. If you’re going in the water then you might as well finish it. I wasn’t going to walk back into the gym on Monday morning having not done it.” He eventually completed the swim in just over two-and-a-half hours, achieving his target of finishing between two and three hours. The trio achievement marked another milestone in a lifelong passion for sport that began during his childhood. Growing up with parents who enjoyed staying active, he played a variety of sports at school and went on to represent Junior England in squash. He later completed the London Marathon twice, took part in RideLondon five times before his injury and even cycled from London to Paris in less than 24 hours. “Sport was just something that I do because it’s part of me. I like keeping fit. I like exercise. I just enjoy it.” But his sporting journey took an unexpected turn in 2019, when the cycling accident left him facing a lengthy recovery. He recalled: “I had a crash. I can’t remember hardly anything, to be honest. I got knocked on the head. But I was probably quite lucky. “Well, I was very unfortunate to end up with spinal cord injury and lucky not to have been injured worse.” Mike spent six months in hospital before undergoing a further two years of rehabilitation. With little knowledge of the sporting opportunities available to people with spinal cord injuries, he began exploring ways to return to the activities he loved after a physiotherapist encouraged him to exercise regularly to maintain his strength and mobility. He eventually discovered adapted cycling. Using a recumbent cycle, Mike went on to complete RideLondon twice more after his accident, bringing his total to seven. “There’s actually quite a lot out there that disabled people can participate in. It’s just finding out about it. You can still do them, you just might do them in a different way.” Outside of keeping fit, sports also helped him rebuild his confidence, regain some independence and continue enjoying activities with his family. “I think sport does help reclaim some of the independence. It means you can participate alongside other people who are doing the same sport. “One thing I think you discover or observe in life is that everybody’s dependent on somebody. We’re all dependent on something in life and it’s just I’m a little bit more dependent on people. But certainly sport and activity is very much at the heart of regaining that independence a little bit and getting confidence.” Mike used his Swim Serpentine challenge to raise money for Back Up, a spinal cord injury charity that provides practical assistance, counselling and peer support to people adjusting to life after injury. The organisation also helps people regain their independence, return to work and discover opportunities to participate in activities they may have thought were no longer possible. Explaining why he chose to support the charity, Mike said: “They are very much focused on the practicalities of life. So whereas there are some great charities on spinal cord injury that focus on research, Back Up feels a bit more tangible to me. They have this thing about peer support and through that, helping people get the most out of their potential.” Having now completed the London Marathon twice, RideLondon seven times and Swim Serpentine, Mike has achieved the London Classics across different chapters of his life. He said: "Living with a spinal cord injury changes things, there's no getting away from that. But it doesn't mean life stops. It means you plan more, adapt, and find different ways to do things." But he isn't ruling out another sporting challenge, revealing he would like to take on something new in 2028 - although he has yet to decide what that might be.