Speedo Mick passed the halfway mark of his 1,000 mile “epic stomp” this morning as he left the city region to continue his journey south.
The ECHO caught up with Mick, 58, in his trademark blue swimming trunks as he made his way through Brookvale in Runcorn en route for Northwich in mid-Cheshire by the end of the day. Mick said he was “absolutely knackered” but was still smiling and stopped for a selfie request from a fellow Everton fan.
His current walk has already taken in ascents of Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon - enduring punishing temperatures as low as -18°C. The gruelling trek began in John O’Groats, Scotland, on December 29, bound for Land’s End at the other end of the UK in Cornwall covering 15 miles a day.
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Mick, whose full name is Michael Cullen, said the support along the way was helping to keep him going, with well-wishers sharing their personal stories of how he’s inspired them, including someone who’d struggled with their weight but had now lost four stone from 18.
He told the ECHO: “I’m no spring chicken any more so I’m absolutely knackered and I’m all in. That’s how I do my challenges.
“I make them as difficult as I can - they’re not just out of reach, I make them out of sight.
“I’m 500 miles in, I’m happy about that - I’m three mountains in, I’m happy about that, and of course the more difficult it gets physically and mentally for me I just get lifted by the public, all the beeps and all the support is just phenomenal.
“I’m not an A-list celebrity, I’m not a celebrity, I’m just a well-known fundraiser but the support is just unbelievable.”
Mick was frank about how far he’s come, not only in terms of putting in the miles but life as a whole, and told the ECHO there was a time he “couldn’t get out of bed, never mind out the house”, due to “mental health issues, childhood trauma, addiction problems”, but was now living his “best life” by helping others.
He said: “It was all turning into myself, and now I’ve turned it out and turned it into a positive doing it for others, and it works for my self-esteem.
“What I’ve found out is I’ve got tenacity, self-belief, perseverance - I’ve got all the stuff I never knew existed.”
The fundraiser, from Dovecot, compared discovering his ability to walk - and keep walking - in the cold to a “super power”, he said: “I just have to keep stomping and keep walking and I’ll have a hot drink to keep my core warm.
“If you don’t keep your core warm you can fall into hypothermia.
“It was -3°C at the bottom and -18°C at the top of Ben Nevis.
“I’ve got the cr*ppest super power, I can walk in really cold weather.”
Asked if there was anything that might help if anyone wanted to bring him anything on his epic trip, he said: “I’d love a roast dinner - chicken not beef.”
Mick is hoping to raise £1m for grassroots charities on his walk, which could be his last hiking feat before hanging up his Speedos and pursuing new projects, spending more time with loved ones and having a rest.
Twice nominated for a Pride of Britain award, Mick first made headlines in 2014 by swimming the English Channel in under 16 hours despite being a novice swimmer.
An appearance at Everton’s next home game in a pair of blue Speedos and Channel Swimmer” written on his chest sealed his signature look.
In 2017 he walked 700 miles from Goodison Park ground to Lyon in France raising funds for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and in 2019 he completed a 1,000-mile walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End and raised half a million pounds, far exceeding his initial target of £100,000.
Then in 2021, he broke a personal record by covering 2,500 across the UK and Ireland over five months, sharing £250,000 with grassroots charities along the way.
On Sunday he tweeted a picture of himself in Widnes next to the Silver Jubilee Bridge after "a very tiring day" after climbing Snowdon the day before as part of his current challenge, and on Monday posted a clip of him thanking everyone who's supported him along the way.
Readers can support Speedo Mick at thespeedomickfoundation.org or gofundme.com
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