// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
'I cycled across America in memory of my wife - I know she's proud of me'
Declan spent almost seven weeks cycling from the west coast of America to the east coast
Declan Faulkner and his wife Patrina always intended to return to the United States, a place they visited shortly after getting married almost 30 years ago, and maybe make a cross-country trip.
But, as is sometimes the case, life had other plans.
They moved close to Patrina's home village of Ballygawley, County Tyrone, developed their careers, raised four children – and then Patrina was diagnosed with breast cancer. Four years later, in 2017, she died.
But Declan never forgot the journey they were meant to take together – which is why the 55-year-old just spent seven weeks cycling coast-to-coast across the US, from Portland, Oregon on the west coast to Portland, Maine.
"When things got tough throughout the journey, I just had Patrina's voice in my head and I dug deep thinking about what she and other cancer patients go through," he said, reflecting on one of the hardest but more rewarding challenges of his life.
It was during Patrina's illness that Declan found an outlet in the form of endurance sports, setting him on a path to his 3,800-mile (6,115km) epic cycle across the US.
"I've always been a keen runner and love to cycle, and even when she was sick Patrina would give me the green light to go off to the Mourne mountains for the day," he said.
"I just loved the serenity of running and cycling there and I suppose mentally it really helped me hold things together at the time.
"I'd remembered talking to Patrina about this idea I had in my head of going back to America and cycling coast to coast.