Perry will walk for his late wife Penny this year

Perry Thompson has walked from St George’s to Dockyard for the past six years all in the name of raising money for charity.

But this year, the walk will be a bit different for him.

“I’m dedicating this walk to my dearly departed wife Penny who normally assisted my in my training. It’s a little harder this year without her,” he said.

Penny died in January.

His biggest tip for walkers is to walk with your feet fully lubricated. You need to cake your feet in Vaseline.

“If you get halfway and feel your feet are irritating you, take off the socks, put on a fresh coat of Vaseline and a clean fresh pair of socks then go again. As long as you keep the feet lubricated, it’s alright.”

Asked how he got into walking, Mr Thompson said: “It all started off when Penny and I were doing these charity walks every Sunday.

“One day, we decided to accept the challenge of the ultimate charity walk, End-to-End.”

As far as training goes, he said: “Normally I start in January. I will start off doing four to six miles every other day.

“Sometimes on my day off, I will increase it to eight to ten.

 “St George’s to Clearwater Beach and back is eight miles.

“If I include Cooper’s Island, it’s ten miles.”

But don’t think Mr Thompson only starts training for the event in January. “I walk all year round, I try to go every other day and do three to four miles,” he said.

Camaraderie

Asked why he participates year after year, Mr Thompson said: “The camaraderie excites me. It seems like it increases every year, small increases.

“Someone new is always accepting the challenge. It’s always exciting to see new faces.”

Speaking of the hardest part of the 21-mile walk, he said: “It’s when you get to Barnes Corner and you look over and see Dockyard.

“By that time, the sun is beaming on the back of your head.

“That’s the biggest challenge, Barnes Corner to Somerset Bridge.

“That’s full of Middle-to-End walkers and children. Everybody’s in your way. It’s a challenge to get past that because once you reach halfway, you’re in your own stride.”

Mr Thompson expects to complete the walk by 1:30pm, having left St George’s at 8am.

He said he listens to a variety of music on his iPod during the five and a half hour walk including reggae, rap and gospel.

Once he crosses the finish line, Mr Thompson plans to just hang out with friends and enjoy the festivities.

He doesn’t have to soak his feet or legs in ice water because he’s now a veteran.

The Catlin End-to-End starts at 8am on Saturday.