It was a proud moment yesterday (Friday) when we made it to Seenigama at the end of the final leg of my walk across Sri Lanka.
I was first here shortly after the terrible tsunami of 2004 and realised how important it was to help the Sri Lankan people.
Thousands lost their lives, families were destroyed and communities devastated, with little hope for the future.
One woman I met had to choose which child to save as she clung on to their arms up a tree in the wake of the power of the waves overwhelming them.
That and many other things I saw on that visit convinced me I should make my next big walk in Sri Lanka.
With the help of the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation, of which I am proud to be an academy member, and other supporters including SriLankan Airlines, we set about working out how we could raise funds and also awareness of their plight.
One of the results is the Foundation of Goodness Seenigama Sports for Life project.
Since 2004, the village and 40 others in the surrounding area have been reborn and benefited from cricket, volleyball, swimming, netball and badminton.
Alongside sport, 25,000 people now enjoy opportunities to learn business skills, English, IT and much more.
All I had to do was get my head down, train like never before, get some mates from the world of sport together and walk 160 miles in eight days in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
Sri Lankans love cricket so they have been delighted to see us joined along the way by greats such as local stars Muttiah Muralidaran, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardane.
Then came two of India’s all-time greats in Sourav Ganguly and Sunil Gavaskar.
South African rugby ace Morne du Plessis was next on board, with Australian legends Steve Waugh and Allan Border.
AB and Morne were alongside me yesterday when we crossed the finish line along with my crew and I am so proud. We’ve raised a lot of money, with more to come – see www.beefysbigsrilankawalk.com for details – but also raised the profile of what is happening here.
The impact we have made has snowballed since day one of the walk in the north of the island when we stayed in the jungle with the army.
We were accompanied by 3,500 soldiers that day and, as we progressed, more and more people joined us, with the Sri Lankan and international media following us too.
Now we are greeted by crowds, bands, children and the odd elephant and I could not be more delighted that the message we set out to get across seems to have got through.
People no longer ask me why I am here – they just get it. And they no longer ask me if I walk the odd mile, then jump on a bus and pose for a photo.
Our routine has been a dawn wake-up call, prepare my legs and blisters with physio supremo Dave ‘Rooster’ Roberts, a quick breakfast then walk, walk, walk.
A cool down at the end is essential then we are on the bus to the next destination to prepare for the following day’s march.
I’ve been raising funds and awareness this way since the Eighties, but I have never had to prepare for a walk as hard as I did for this. I have not been fitter for 30 years and I aim to keep going, with a walk in Argentina already lined up.
The biggest challenge here has been the heat and humidity. I knew from visiting Sri Lanka in the past it would be a test, but nothing could have prepared us for walking 20 miles a day in 40-plus degrees at 90 per cent humidity.
I owe thanks to my wife Kath for her support here and our daughter Sarah for pulling the whole thing together.
I have had a lot of fun along the way – especially when ‘Tugga’ Waugh and AB tried to convince me that the Aussies can win the Ashes. Now that was funny.
I am off Down Under today to cover what will be England’s 5-0 Ashes win and I intend to enjoy every minute of it.
