"I've said to live in the moment, I don't look too far in the future, just enjoy every day. I will have another challenge in me, maybe Everest next year"
Friday 25 September 2020 14:43, UK
Dave Clark insists he has another challenge in him after recently conquering a 90-mile walk across the length of Hadrian's Wall over six days in aid of raising money towards pioneering research projects supported by Parkinson's UK.
The former Sky Sports Darts presenter, who stepped away from his role after 20 years in July, is aiming to follow up his #MarchForACure effort by tackling Everest Base Camp.
For now, though, he's allowing himself some well-deserved rest after a magnificent effort that raised close to £40,000.
"I've got blisters on my blisters still, I'm doing alright so far," said Clark on The Darts Show Podcast. "It was pretty hard, I don't walk as well as I used to now.
"It was a real challenge, doing about 15 miles a day is a real effort. Some days we were walking for over nine hours, it really takes it out of you. I managed it that was the main thing.
"I got more than 5,000 messages from people and some of them were incredible. One guy aged 39 was diagnosed last year, hadn't told his mum and dad and he waited until I was on tele at Christmas to tell his mum and dad 'look, if he can do that on tele I'll be alright'. I thought things like that were amazing."
Clark has been tremendous in spreading awareness of the condition since being diagnosed in 2011 and was visibly emotional in a video capturing him completing the walk.
Everest remains in his sights after plans to take on the trek were dashed by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
"The tears were welling up in my eyes near the end. The whole thing was fantastic. A tide of good will went across the country.
"A group of six of us went across England and it was magnificent, people stopped in their cars and cheered me on and people handed me a tenner or a fiver along the way.
"I'm thinking maybe Everest Base Camp next year depending on how things go, I can't predict how I'll be a in a year's time.
"I've said to live in the moment, I don't look too far in the future, just enjoy every day. I will have another challenge in me, maybe Everest next year."
Clark admits he's found it difficult to watch the darts since stepping away from his role earlier this year, however isn't staying too far from the sport as he continues to write his book 'Stand Up If You Love The Darts'.
Moving away from the game was a decision made entirely by Clark, who at the time explained his desire to stop while he was 'still in control'.
"The timing was perfect," he said. "I didn't want to carry on until I failed. I was still at the top of my game, I could still walk out in front of 10,000 people and do the job.
"I didn't want the tap on the shoulder, I didn't want to humiliate myself down the line.
"Because what I've got is progressive, I'm not going to get any better unless they find a miracle cure, which I'm still hanging out for by the way boys.
"The timing was perfect. When you go out at the top, with dignity. Everything seemed right. I don't have any regrets. People come up to me in the street and say 'l loved you on the darts, what are you doing next?' and I'm just chilling out for a while now."
Darts is back on Sky Sports in October with seven days of World Grand Prix action under way from October 6 and the Premier League Play-Offs from The O2 on October 22.
