Margo Oakley and Mark Blythen, who competed in season six of Race Across the World, have spoken about their emotional journey, which was dedicated to Mark's wife and Margo's sister, Julia, who died from cancer in 2022 at the age of 61.
Finishing the race in Mongolia
Reflecting on reaching the final checkpoint in Mongolia after their 12,000km race, Mark told the Express: "It was just incredible. It was being in that spit of land in the snow with that lake and the sun setting and the memory of Julia, and Margo being there. It was fantastic."
"We'd done what we'd set out to do," he added, "and we did it in a style that was fitting for the whole feel and the reason why we did the race, which was Julia."
Emotional moments and grief
Margo echoed the sentiment: "When Mark and I went through absolute tough times in Mongolia, and then when we reached the final checkpoint, the joy, the elation, it still brings tears to my eyes when I watch that, or even think about it. It was so meaningful that we got ourselves there."
The duo, who are preparing to go on an African safari with Newmarket Holidays, revealed how travel and adventure have helped them navigate grief. Mark explained: "It can be [helpful], but it's not for everyone. People grieve in different ways. Julia loved travel, though she enjoyed travelling at a higher standard with four or five-star hotels, and not travelling on buses overnight! But she enjoyed travelling, so the experience of that helped me come to terms, finally, with the loss of Julia and I did feel at the end that she was with us, I really did."
Encouraging pre-retirement travel
Working with Newmarket Holidays to launch their 'Pretirement Sabbatical' initiative, the pair encourage people not to delay travel. Mark said: "Never put anything off, that's what I've realised. You don't realise how short your life can be. You know Julia died when she was 60, and your health does deteriorate. If you go somewhere in your 50s, you have a completely different experience than if you wait until you retire, which could be 67, 68. So now we encourage people to take a pre-sabbatical in their 50s."
Margo agreed: "I think people of our age are in that transitional period going into their 50s and into their 60s. We really are at a time of transition. We found out from this, the research from Newmarket Holidays, they found that over 50s, they have on average, three unmet travel dreams." She advised: "I would recommend that people sit down and actually write a list of places that take their fancy. If you've got a flight of fancy, write it down, because when we write it down, we can be really intentional, and then you can explore the possibilities of how you can make it happen and what options there are."
