Williamstown resident David Morgan has joined a club of about 300 people across the world, after conquering the seven highest mountains across all of the seven continents.
On top of being the second known Australian to have climbed the seven highest summits over the past 10 years, he also completed seven of the world’s greatest marathons as part of a fundraising effort which has raised more than $60,000 for research into Type 1 diabetes.
What has been a three-year journey came to a close on Sunday, June 12, when Mr Morgan completed the Cairns Ironman, which involved swimming 3.8 kilometres and cycling 180 kilometres before running his seventh and final marathon.
Suffering from salt depletion and cramps during the cycling leg of the event and then passing out five kilometres through the run, doctors told him to stop.
However, he completed the event at 11pm, 15 hours after the event start at 8am.
Mr Morgan said the journey began in essence in February 2018, when his four-year-old daughter Finlay received a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
“After learning to cope and manage Finlay’s condition, my attention turned to what I could contribute to the diabetes community,” he said.
“The need for funding to support diabetes research quickly became evident.
“In addition to raising awareness and vital funds to assist with research for a cure, I also hoped to bring encouragement to children and individuals that they can overcome life’s challenges and accomplish anything in life.”
Mr Morgan said some of the harder moments of his climbs included contracting COVID-19 at the base camp of Mount Everest, battling altitude sickness and suffering from frostbite during his climb of Denali in Alaska after his boot heaters failed during his descent of Mount Everest.
“The highs were definitely the small moments upon the summit of the various mountain peaks after extended periods of effort to simply be in that moment.
“To know I’d finally summitted all seven summits as I stood atop of Denali in Alaska was pure relief.
“Arriving home to my family was always the biggest highlight.”
Mr Morgan said the support he had received had been “extremely humbling” but hoped his journey would inspire those struggling with Type 1 diabetes to try new things and persevere.
“You can achieve whatever you want to,” he said.
“If I can make it to the top of the world, anything in life is surely achievable.”
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