David ‘Jacko’ Jackson, who lives near Caernarfon, Gwynedd in North West Wales, ran the full length of Cymru, a route totalling 288 miles- the equivalent of running in a straight line from London over to Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
And if 288 miles wasn’t enough, Jacko’s ‘Mission Wales’ challenge saw him cover over 13,000 metres in elevation- the equivalent of going up Mount Snowden 13 times.
The 43-year-old former winger for Nottingham R.F.C - who scored 102 tries in 316 appearances for the club- retired in 2013 due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and seizure on the pitch.
Jacko, who now works as a breath coach with his company Pro Breathwork, is raising money for two brain injury charities, Head for Change and Headway UK, who work to improve life after brain injury by providing information and support services.
Mission Wales saw Jacko set off from St David's Head in Pembrokeshire on September 1, finishing up at Caernarfon Castle six days later.
“The last 20km into Caernarfon was a little bit of a struggle,” he said.
“But we got there with a lot of help from a lot of friends.
“When I was on day two of the challenge, it struck me how far along the coast I’d come, and it was almost a metaphor for my experience with my brain injury.
“I looked back to where I had started- which you could see in the very far distance- and I thought just by putting one foot in front of the other continuously, look at where I’ve got to. I just saw my brain injury, and how far I've come.”
Jacko was forced to retire after sustaining a traumatic brain injury and bleed on the brain in pre-season training 12 years ago.
For months he experienced symptoms including fatigue, sensitivity to light and depression, and said it was around a year before he got back to exercise and running.
He completed his first marathon in 2021, taking on bigger challenges in the years since, including an 100km mountain ultra run, Ultra-Trail Snowdonia, in May this year.
And he says he couldn’t have done them without the support from his wife Catherine, who faced the ‘unknown’ of brain injury with him back in 2013 and who took on the planning and logistics for Mission Wales.
“We were totally on our own when I sustained my brain injury”, he said.
“We just had to work it out ourselves. We came across Headway after my brain injury and could have benefitted from their support and services, so now I want to raise as much funds and awareness as I can to help others going through what I did, or similar.”
Jacko has so far raised over £1600 for Headway UK, who offer a range of services to those affected by brain injury including their free nurse-led helpline, Brain Injury Identity Cards and the Headway Emergency Fund.
Helen Craig, Fundraising Manager at Headway UK, said: “We’re so grateful to Jacko for taking on Mission Wales in aid of Headway, allowing us to continue frontline services.
“Jacko knows firsthand the challenges that come with a brain injury, and the fact he wants to raise awareness and funds to help others facing life after brain injury is admirable.”
Jacko has said that Mission Wales is a ‘warm-up’ for an even bigger event next year, but he is keeping tight lipped over what that challenge entails.
He is keen to encourage other brain injury survivors to focus on small steps that are within their control during recovery.
He said: “When you look at the entirety of the challenge ahead, it is overwhelming. But breaking it down helps.
“With Mission Wales I couldn’t run tomorrow's marathons until I’d ran todays. You can apply that to brain injury; what can you do right now to take a step forward? Don’t worry about later today, or tomorrow, but what's in your control that you can try to do that helps you take a step forward.”
You can donate to Jacko’s fundraiser here.
