A man has successfully cycled more than 10,000 miles from the UK to - Australia.

Sam Murray, 25, set off from Greenhithe in Kent in May last year with the goal of pedaling around the world.

Sadly, the challenge had to be cut short after his dad was diagnosed with cancer - forcing him home.

But he still made it Down Under - travelling through Europe, into Asia, and then across to Australia.

After attempting to take his own life in 2020, Samuel says he spent time suffering with shame and guilt.

But in 2022, Sam's mum Louise, 53, was sadly diagnosed with cancer - which prompted him to kickstart his recovery so he could be there to support her.

Once she was cancer-free he decided to take on a marathon challenge - in the hopes of raising money for the suicide prevention charity Samaritans.

He said: "After surviving my suicide attempt I suffered from a lot of shame and guilt. "

"I shut down my emotions and went into auto pilot. I didn't take care of myself - I wouldn't shower, I wouldn't brush my teeth - and I couldn't fathom having the drive or energy for anything."

"But in 2022, my mum was diagnosed with cancer. This kicked my butt into action as I desperately wanted to be there for her, and I realised that to do that, I needed to start looking after myself. "

"This led me on an upwards spiral and during that time I watched a lot of videos of people bikepacking and cycling long distances. "

"One of my friends said to me, 'Why don't you do it?' And so when my mum was cancer-free I decided I would. "

"I had never cycled in my adult life up until that point - and I only bought a bike two months before I left. "

"I probably should have done more training but I wasn't looking to break any records."

"I just wanted to see the world I suppose - and raise money for Samaritans."



"The charity has been a massive thing for me as when you look at the statistics, it's one in four people will experience suicidal thoughts. "

"You can make that unemotional by saying that as numbers, but when you look around in a room full of people, especially in a room full of people you love, you realise that number is really high. "

"I know now how much I would have missed if I had died. I wouldn't have been here to help my mum get through cancer, I wouldn't have done this trip and had the best year of my life, and I wouldn't be here to support my dad. "

"I was blessed in 2020 that I was given a second chance. So suicide prevention just means a lot to me because I really understand how important it is." "

Sam started his marathon in the UK and cycled through Europe to arrive at Turkey.

From there, he had initially planned to cycle through the Middle East but found himself unable to enter Iran due to recent political turmoil.

As a result, he flew to India, where he cycled up to Nepal to complete the famous Annapurna circuit through the Himalayas.

After that, Sam flew to Vietnam, and travelled through Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Finally, he flew to Cairns, Australia, and began the last leg of his journey, which would take him to Perth.

Sam had made it over 300km when he received the call from his dad.

He said: "I'm a bit gutted I had to come home early because it meant I didn't reach my original goal of cycling 20,000km (12,427 miles). "

"But I knew I had to be there for my dad. "

"I might go back at some point and finish it - or I have a few other ideas too." "

Sam's 16,500km (10,252 miles) cycle took him 13 months in total.

During that time, he had some incredible experiences in several different countries.

However, he thinks that Nepal and India were his favourite places.

Sam said: "Nepal was amazing because of the Annapurna Circuit, which is just a once-in-a-lifetime experience. "

"It was pretty crazy too - at one point a bunch of us were chucked in the back of a military truck because a 300kg tiger had been killing motorcyclists. "

"As for India, we got there during Divali which was just another world. There were literal traffic jams of people in the streets - and kids everywhere playing with firecrackers. "

"It was crazy."



So far, Sam has raised more than £30,000 for Samaritans.

You can donate to his Just Giving here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/smuzzo

You can also learn more about his journey on his Instagram, @sambikepackingtheworld.

If you have been affected by any of the topics discussed in this article, help is available.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie.

In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor.

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.

Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org