Shropshire Magazine

The last 187 miles were by bike.

Shirley Tart learns about an inspirational, astonishing tribute to the victim of an unexplained tragedy

Blake Hartley, in honour of whom Tom undertook his epic feat, disappeared in France in 2004.

When anyone goes missing, families have not only lost a loved one but, without knowing what happened, can’t find closure. 

There is an even greater bewilderment when the missing person is young, fit and capable, with the golden promise of their lives simply wiped out.

That’s how it has been for the family of Blake Hartley, who went missing two days after his 25th birthday and during his first night in Chamonix, France. He was last seen in the early hours of August 8, 2004, then disappeared without a trace. 

Blake was the leader of an adventure training expedition, qualified in mountain leadership and with extensive experience. 

Nine Army officer cadets from Sandhurst Military Academy set off from England in three cars travelling in convoy on August 6. One of them was Blake, and the group stayed overnight in St Omer, northern France, to celebrate his birthday, arriving in Chamonix the following afternoon. They pitched their tents on the Ile des Barrats campsite, had a couple of beers, changed and set off for a meal in town. 

They went on to a nightclub and, at about 2.30 am, Blake was the one who decided it was time to go home and he was also the one who, it was thought, had arrived at the wrong camp site and so wandered off looking for another one.

So far as is known, Blake Hartley was never seen alive again. 

As his mother Sally Perrin and his stepfather David back in Shrewsbury heard the shocking news, they immediately left for Chamonix. And so began a journey of searching for Blake which for many, many months was to lead nowhere.

Three years later, a local man determined to help them, found bones in the River L’Arve which were to be identified as the remains of the young Shropshire man who had shown such promise which was never to be fulfilled.

Eventually there was a funeral service for Blake at Cound church. Among those paying tribute was Tom Beaver, Blake’s cousin, who read from the Book of Revelations, beginning: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more . . .”

The young men were about the same age. But that was not to be all Tom Beaver did in memory of his cousin.

Last year, the 27-year-old took on the Arch to Arc challenge from Marble Arch, London, to L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

An 87-mile run in 21 hours, 19 minutes.

The young adventurer began his epic by running the 86 miles to Dover in his attempt to raise £10,000 for the charity Missing People.

Sally is so proud of her nephew and what he did in Blake’s name that it was she who contacted us with his story. Which, of course, is also very much part of her story, and the whole sad way her life has been blighted by the loss of her beloved son.

Sally told me how, in Dover, Tom rested and waited for the right tide to start his swim across the channel, one of the busiest sea routes in the world. At 3.30am he and his support crew set off, led by Tom’s wife Joanne and his brother Henry with conditions so rough that despite seasickness pills all round there were still green faces on the support boat.

Tom made good progress in extreme conditions but feeding became a problem and the ‘solids’ dropped to liquids and jelly.

He carried on through huge seas, slowing up after 12 hours in, with only six miles to go. There was a strong tide and an oil tanker in his way but, without complaint, he swam back out and around it.

The swim would have been 22 miles in a straight line . . . but Tom covered rather more than that!

After 18 hours and a mile offshore, Tom was moving forward so slowly a decision was made for him to go back out to sea, round the harbour wall, dodge a couple of ferries and head towards Calais beach. Henry had navigated family and friends along the beach and miraculously Tom was ashore.

Then it was ‘on your bike’, with helmeted head down, legs pumping furiously through the rolling French countryside with his 15 supporters – including an 11-week-old baby!

Sally continues: “After pitstops, a seven-mile roadworks detour and times when Tom fell off his bike because of disorientation and sheer exhaustion, close to Paris, he needed an extended stop to rehydrate.” But at 2am on September 10, the support crew gathered at L’Arc de Triomphe, to find the Parisian gendarmes were not having anyone on their roundabout under any circumstances. So, disappointingly, they had to gather on the corner of the Champs-Elysées. 

“Finally, a little wobbling flashing bike light was seen heading towards us.

A triumphant Tom at the finishing line: L’Arc de Triomphe.

To cheers, tears and applause this crazy, brave, hugely determined 27-year-old Enduroman crossed the finishing line, completing the challenge of a lifetime and probably one of the most difficult in the world.”

No wonder Sally and the family are so proud of their boy. In total, Tom ran 87 miles in 21 hours, 19 minutes, swam a nominal 22 miles – probably much further – in 20 hours 44 minutes, and cycled the last 187 miles to arrive in Paris in a grand total time of 85 hours 56 minutes.

With only 14 people having attempted the challenge to date, Tom is only the fifth to have succeeded – and the youngest. Without the extreme conditions in the Channel, he might have even cracked the record, which stands at 81 hours five minutes, but he holds the second quickest time.

Arch to Arc invigilator Steve Haywood says the only way to describe Tom is “A hero! The swim was as gruelling as any Channel swim has ever been, and Tom was the most calm and determined of any swimmers I have ever witnessed. It was an honour to coach Tom and I am humbled by his determination, and congratulate him on becoming an Enduroman.”

Brother Henry says: “It was brutal out there, and not many could have swum like Tom. It was humbling and awesome to see up close and personal.”

Sally Perrin adds: “I think there could be no greater tribute to my son than what Tom has accomplished, and I feel sure that Blake had a hand in helping us locate Tom on that beach and helping him ashore. He has achieved something amazing and Blake would have been so proud of him, as we all are.”

Tom has already raised more than £6,000 for Missing People in Blake’s name, which will also help other families so much.

Sally rounds off an inspiring and amazing story when she says: “On a final note, to everyone’s surprise when the family arrived home at 2am on Thursday morning, a few minutes later they saw the van coming down the road with Tom driving, he had driven the last 160 miles. What a man!”

• Visit www.justgiving.com/arch2arc08 – donations help find loved ones who have gone missing.