Since receiving a life-changing diagnosis, Ben Spencer has conquered extraordinary challenges, exploring London’s tube stations, climbing a mountain, and is now preparing for his next endeavour – the 2024 London Marathon.
Ben, also known as the Tube Snapper on Instagram, suffers from ataxia, a degenerative neurological condition, which affects his mobility and speech.
Last year, he commuted to 272 stations on the London Underground, documenting his journey with photos of each station on social media, to raise money and awareness for ataxia.
He completed the challenge in four months, determined to finish it before ataxia took away his ability to walk and is now on course to repeat the challenge using a wheelchair.
Ben said: “I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing.
“The option was to either fight and keep going or feel sorry for myself and give up, but I just wasn’t going to enjoy life that way.
“I always had a fascination with tube stations and photography, so I combined the two for a bit of fun and people loved it.
“After that, it occurred to me that there was so much more I wanted to do.”
Ben began exercising to slow down the progression of his disease and joined the London Wheelchair Triathlon Club to help start training.
Living an increasingly active lifestyle and regularly getting out, Ben decided to take on Mount Snowdon in North Wales, a mountain 1085m above sea level, with the help of five volunteers.
The Tube Snapper travelled to Snowdonia on accessible public transport and used mobility aids including walking sticks, a rollator, and his wheelchair to help him reach the top of the mountain.
After a 16-hour hike, Ben reached the top and was greeted by people who celebrated his achievement.
Ben said: “It took a lot of training and preparation which was very exhausting.
“I set myself targets of walking further each time I trained, and it was amazing how much muscle I could build.
“The best part of it was that I proved it was possible to get there and back using public transport and in my own steam.
“I was very passionate about showing others that they can get out and exercise because it helps slow down the progression of the disease.”
Now the Tube Snapper has set eyes on a new challenge – to take on the 26.2-mile London Marathon commencing April 21.
His goal is to raise money for Ataxia UK and show other people with the same diagnosis that they can still achieve anything.
Ben added: “The more people find out about ataxia, the more they might be able to say ‘hang on I have those funny little symptoms’.
“I want to not only raise awareness but inspire people to get out of the house – no matter whether it’s just to the local shops or to do a marathon.
“It’s all about trying and never giving up.”
In the lead-up to this event, Ben and his good friend Peter took part in the Double Ultra Wheelchair Marathon.
They travelled the route of the London Underground’s Northern Line, starting at 9am and finishing at 4:30am.
Despite a series of hills and slopes in the northern part of London, Ben pushed through and feels excited for his next initiative.
The funds he raises will go towards Ataxia UK, a charity which supports people with all forms of ataxia and contributes to research for cures.
Ataxia affects 500 children and 10,000 adults in the UK and disrupts the messages sent from the brain to the muscles which are used for moving, speaking, listening and seeing.
Ben’s fundraising page can be found here.
Feature image credit to Leah Van Zyl
