Simon to Carry the Olympic Flame

Ex-Doncaster College student Simon Wheatcroft has been chosen to carry the Olympic torch when it arrives in Doncaster on 26th June, as it continues its journey around the country.

Simon, who is visually impaired, and an ultra marathon runner, will carry the torch on a three hundred-metre section through Armthorpe.

Simon said, "On the 26th of June I will be carrying the Olympic torch through Armthorpe. It is an amazing honour to carry the torch and an opportunity I never thought I would have. When I first heard the news I was overjoyed that I had been chosen. As time has passed I have also come to realize how much of a community event it really is. With the opportunity for friends and family to attend on the day and watch me carry that torch. It connects us all to this truly special event that is taking place."

It should be a relatively easy run through Armthorpe for Simon compared to the long distances and rough terrain that he is used to when competing in ultra distance events.

“I was nominated to carry the torch off the back of my ultra running," said Simon. "Bored in 2010 I decided to take up running; 8 months later I entered my first race, a 100-mile run through the hills of the Cotswolds. The actual nomination came off the back of my unique training. Being blind, I mastered training alone outdoors. By memorising a 6-mile route I trained relentlessly outdoors in order to begin competing at the ultra distance.

"This resulted in a nomination from one of my guide runners who help me to compete. It was a wonderful surprise to find I had been nominated and I will forever be grateful to them for it."

Simon, who is thirty and from Rossington, attended Doncaster College as a mature student, with a view to changing his career. He had been a network manager in a school but in order to achieve this change he felt he would have to attend university. He signed up to an Access to Further Education course at the College to get the relevant qualifications he needed to go to university.

Now studying for a degree in Psychology at University in Sheffield, Simon is grateful for the help he received at Doncaster College.

"I was conscious as a blind student about gaining access to the relevant assistance in order to succeed in mainstream education. The college offered fantastic support throughout my year at the college attending to all my needs and assuring material was in an accessible format. The lecturers were also fantastic in tailoring elements to assist me in achieving my full potential."