Even though 21-year-old British race car driver Billy Monger lost both his legs in a car crash in April 2017, he was able to return to motorsport racing. In March he’s going to take on a new challenge – a “triathlon” – by hiking, cycling and kayaking 140 miles (225 km). He’s taking on this extreme, four-day challenge to raise money for Comic Relief, a British organization that seeks to end poverty. “This is the toughest physical challenge I’ve ever had to take on in my life,” Monger tells BBC Breakfast.
“Learning how to walk and becoming a double amputee was hard enough, but tackling something to this scale … I’m pushing myself quite hard to say the least,” he continues. Monger hasn’t ridden a bike since he lost his legs, so when he started training in December just getting on the bike was a challenge, let alone riding it for hours at a time. Not only do his biking skills need attention, Monger had never walked more than six km, and he has never kayaked.
Above all Monger looks forward to raising funds for Comic Relief. The organization’s yearly “Red Nose Day” takes place on On Mar. 19, 2021, and celebrities and companies of all kinds raise funds for projects.
“I’m so grateful to the team for showing me the amazing work they do and telling me how sport has such a positive impact on young people’s lives and helped them get through incredibly tough times,” Monger says. “I’ll think of this when the challenge gets really hard and know it will be all worth it to hopefully raise some much-needed money.”
