A fitness fanatic who was born with clubfoot and could not stand for longer than an hour without experiencing excruciating pain, and was told not to play the drums any more by doctors, now completes Ironman triathlons and non-stop swims to raise money to help others with his condition, and hopes to join a band next year.
Toby Bunyan, a 28-year-old cable jointer underwent corrective clubfoot surgery and treatment for his right foot at four months old, but grew up with “absolutely horrific, excruciating pain” when standing or doing high-impact sport and was told he may have to have his “ankles fused together” to reduce the pain.
As a teenager, he even had to give up his favourite hobby of playing the drums, making him feel “deflated” and “scared of the problems (he) would potentially face” in the future, until, at age 24, he swapped orthotic shoes for barefoot shoes, which was a “complete game changer” for Toby and he could finally participate in sport without pain.
In 2022, Toby wanted to “prove to (himself)” that he could do high-impact sport and raise money for MiracleFeet, a children’s clubfoot charity, so signed up to the Ironman challenge – it included a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and full marathon, and Toby completed it in just 13.5 hours. Toby felt “elated” but did not want to stop there – he has since completed a 17km swim in Lake Windermere and is now preparing for a non-stop 26km swim in Zurich without a wetsuit.
Toby’s experience made him realise “not everyone is this privileged” and he is determined to raise as much money as he can to help people with clubfoot around the world stop “living with the pain and stigma that comes with untreated clubfoot”. At four months old, Toby underwent corrective surgery and treatment for his right foot via the NHS, but growing up he experienced “debilitating pain”, particularly on days when he walked or stood for long periods of time.
He said: “My family are really active and sporty, but when we went skiing or anything like that I’d be in absolutely horrific, excruciating pain. Actually, the worst thing was standing. I used to have to take painkillers if I knew I was going to be standing up a lot that day, and there was nothing else that really helped.”
This greatly affected Toby’s love for sports and he was often forced to sit out activities or stop early due to the pain at school – even golf, his favourite sport, caused significant pain after just a few holes. As a teenager Toby also loved playing the drums, but was advised to stop playing them, and physiotherapists told him to avoid running and participating in high-impact sports indefinitely.
He said: “I was pretty deflated, I remember being scared of the problems I would potentially face in the future if I was already having to give up something like the drums that should require such minimal strength and mobility.”
But Toby was determined not to give up on his passions and sought further medical help. At age 24, his life took a positive turn when he met a new physiotherapist who encouraged him to transition from orthotic shoes to barefoot shoes, and to his amazement, they reduced the pain he was experiencing and allowed him to participate in sports again.
He said: “My foot, with orthotics, wasn’t getting movement, it was almost like a crutch that gives your foot support, but it meant my foot was not strengthening at all. With barefoot shoes, they’re wider, so your foot can move, and they build up strength slowly and have helped strengthen my tendons and muscles in my foot.
“It was just a complete game-changer – one previous physiotherapist even told me I might have to have my ankles fused together because of the pain. I couldn’t believe it when there was less pain – I could play sport practically pain-free.”
In 2022, Toby decided to participate in the Frankfurt Ironman, to raise money for the international children’s clubfoot charity MiracleFeet after coming across them on Instagram.
He said: “I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and it was amazing to finally be able to enjoy playing sport without being in pain.”
Toby completed the Frankfurt Ironman Triathlon – which included a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and full marathon – in 13.5 hours.
He explained how it felt to cross the finish line: “I was just elated, and it felt amazing. I think it really set in a month afterwards when I was looking back at it and then eventually I realised ‘Wow, that is incredible what I did.’”
Toby was able to raise £1,390 for the charity – enough money to fund three life-changing clubfoot procedures, but that wasn’t enough for Toby. In August 2022, he participated in a 17km swim in Lake Windermere, which took six hours and 33 minutes to complete. Toby is now preparing for a non-stop 26km swim in Zurich without a wetsuit – the challenge equates to swimming more than 1,000 lengths of a 25m pool.
He said: “It’s been really tough, I think it’s going to be harder than the Ironman. It’s been hard to train – I’ve been travelling places like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Europe for six months and it’s been hard to find pools when I’ve been staying in hostels. I’ve often walked for miles and found a pool that was closed or private, especially in Thailand, but now I’m back in England it should be a bit easier.”
Toby, from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, is also challenging himself to raise additional funds for MiracleFeet through his fundraising page so that more children can receive life-changing clubfoot treatment which costs just £400 per child.
He said: “To think I once couldn’t run 5K without experiencing extreme pain, and now I have competed Ironman and long-distance swims, is mind-blowing. Despite the various challenges I’ve faced, I realise how fortunate I am to have received such incredible treatment and support for my condition, allowing me to walk at the expected age and enjoy a normal life.
“But unfortunately, not everyone is this privileged – and in many countries around the world children are living with the pain and stigma that comes with untreated clubfoot. Knowing children will be deprived of the basic ability to walk and participate in sports is what drives me to continue fundraising for MiracleFeet.”
Looking back on how far he has come, Toby said: “My family, especially my mum, have been amazing – it was hard for her to see me with clubfoot, and I’m so thankful for their support over the years. I’ve also been able to pick up the drums again, I haven’t played in a while but I hope to join a band next year and play more regularly.”
