Huck's Story
Hucks Story
Mark Hucklebridge (Huck) was a dominant figure in the Motocross industry as a rider and also a race organiser plus one of the top ACU trainers in the UK. In 2010 his life changed when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, this is his story.
He started riding at the tender age of 10 after watching his Dad and Uncle Mike race he got the bug, a good bug for him to catch as he went on to have a very successful Motocross career. It saw him race for some of the UKs best teams - MJ Church Kawasak, Factory VOR, TM UK, KTM UK, Honda UK, Motoxtreme Kawasaki, Chambers KTM and Hockey Honda, he became a very popular and well liked rider within the racing community. His list of his Motocross achievements are below
• British School Boy Champion 1994
• Winner Coupe De Lavier
• Winner Patchquick Trophy
• Winner Ken Hall Trophy
• Winner Weston Beach Race 1998 (youngest ever winner at the time)
• Winner Weston Beach Race 2000
• British SX Champion 2001
• Won First British Championship Race 2002
• Winner First Round British SX Round 2002
• Winner First British Championship Round 2003
• KWS Champion 2003
• Third Overall British Championship 2003
• 18th World Championship overall 2003
• KWS Champion 2004
• Winner British SX Championship 2005
• UK Flood Lit SX Champion 2006
• KWS Champion 2008.
Huck retired from professional racing at the end of 2008 and in 2009 he was offered a great opportunity by the ACU. One door shut and another opened, Roy Barton who at the time worked with the ACU offered Huck the opportunity to work with the ACU training and developing young Motocross riders.
In 2009 Huck had a fantastic year and the three trained riders Josh Waterman, Ryan Houghton and Ben Watson - won every group in the British Youth Championship that season, all three riders have gone on to further their career in Motocross with the skills and knowledge taught to them by Huck.
In the process Mark and his wife Emma set up Hucklebridge Events to teach the Academy riders, run their own events and also a practice track near their home in Marshfield. Mark gained his NVQ teaching course of excellence working with the MSA (Motor Sports Association) at Loughborough University; this enabled him to teach young riders the art of becoming professional on and off the track and was fully funded by the government.
Mark set up structured training for the track and a curriculum was written for every MX technique. Hucklebridge Events with their club (Moredon) ran the UK Girls Nationals for five years. Further to their events Huck and Emma also ran Circuit Training fitness classes, it was originally set up for just MX riders but people from all aspects of life attended these sessions and were put through their paces by the Hucklebridge pairing! Each week between 25 - 30 people were tested to the limit, with 55 people coming through the classes in 2014.
Emma and Mark met in 1998, they eventually tied the knot in 2006 and their son Charlie was born in 2007. Nothing stops in their family and they are continuously on the move and working hard to achieve their goals and targets.
In 2010 their lives took a drastic turn, Mark had experienced slight bleeding whilst going to the toilet. He sought medical advice and after a number of tests and scans he was diagnosed with stage 4 (spread beyond the original tumour) bowel cancer, a huge blow for the Hucklebridge family. He was told that the tumour in his bowel had been in place for between 5-10 years and had also now spread via the lymph nodes into his lungs.
Just before Christmas in 2010 Huck started his first dose of chemotherapy which was given to him via a Hickman line which went straight into a vein near his heart. It was an extremely difficult Christmas for the family as Emma was struck down with swine-flu and Charlie was sent to stay with relatives so he did not get poorly and Mark went to stay with other family. The family were able to see each other for only an hour on Christmas Day with Mark having to wear a hospital face mask to ensure he did not pick anything up, as his immune system was weak due to the intense course of chemo he was receiving.
After three months of chemo, Mark endured five weeks of intense radiotherapy with more chemo to shrink the tumours. This was carried out every day at his local hospital, the RHU in Bath. After a short break, just six weeks Mark had his first major operation in June 2011 to remove the tumour in his bowel. Over a foot of the large bowel was removed and he was left with a colostomy bag for a while.
Mark then had to go through three more months of chemo and then the doctors reversed his colostomy. In May 2012 he went in for surgery again for another major operation where the middle lobe, around a 1/3 of his right lung was removed. In the September of that year he was back in again for yet more surgery, this time to remove a quarter of his liver after routine tests showed a tumour was present there.
As a family at that stage they really believed that Mark had beaten the cancer and that he was on his way to a full recovery. He went for three routine blood tests over a period of nine months and his blood levels began to drop and everything was looking very hopeful.
Then in January 2014 the blood test increased rapidly showing that the cancer had returned and had been growing at a fast rate for the past three months.
Mark soldiered on for the next year having treatment every other week and enjoying life with Emma and Charlie.
He made lots of memories with his family and watched Charlie compete in motocross every weekend.
Sadly Mark became very unwell in 2015 and passed away on 15th March 2018 leaving the Friends of Huck Charity as his legacy.
He started riding at the tender age of 10 after watching his Dad and Uncle Mike race he got the bug, a good bug for him to catch as he went on to have a very successful Motocross career. It saw him race for some of the UKs best teams - MJ Church Kawasak, Factory VOR, TM UK, KTM UK, Honda UK, Motoxtreme Kawasaki, Chambers KTM and Hockey Honda, he became a very popular and well liked rider within the racing community. His list of his Motocross achievements are below
• British School Boy Champion 1994
• Winner Coupe De Lavier
• Winner Patchquick Trophy
• Winner Ken Hall Trophy
• Winner Weston Beach Race 1998 (youngest ever winner at the time)
• Winner Weston Beach Race 2000
• British SX Champion 2001
• Won First British Championship Race 2002
• Winner First Round British SX Round 2002
• Winner First British Championship Round 2003
• KWS Champion 2003
• Third Overall British Championship 2003
• 18th World Championship overall 2003
• KWS Champion 2004
• Winner British SX Championship 2005
• UK Flood Lit SX Champion 2006
• KWS Champion 2008.
Huck retired from professional racing at the end of 2008 and in 2009 he was offered a great opportunity by the ACU. One door shut and another opened, Roy Barton who at the time worked with the ACU offered Huck the opportunity to work with the ACU training and developing young Motocross riders.
In 2009 Huck had a fantastic year and the three trained riders Josh Waterman, Ryan Houghton and Ben Watson - won every group in the British Youth Championship that season, all three riders have gone on to further their career in Motocross with the skills and knowledge taught to them by Huck.
In the process Mark and his wife Emma set up Hucklebridge Events to teach the Academy riders, run their own events and also a practice track near their home in Marshfield. Mark gained his NVQ teaching course of excellence working with the MSA (Motor Sports Association) at Loughborough University; this enabled him to teach young riders the art of becoming professional on and off the track and was fully funded by the government.
Mark set up structured training for the track and a curriculum was written for every MX technique. Hucklebridge Events with their club (Moredon) ran the UK Girls Nationals for five years. Further to their events Huck and Emma also ran Circuit Training fitness classes, it was originally set up for just MX riders but people from all aspects of life attended these sessions and were put through their paces by the Hucklebridge pairing! Each week between 25 - 30 people were tested to the limit, with 55 people coming through the classes in 2014.
Emma and Mark met in 1998, they eventually tied the knot in 2006 and their son Charlie was born in 2007. Nothing stops in their family and they are continuously on the move and working hard to achieve their goals and targets.
In 2010 their lives took a drastic turn, Mark had experienced slight bleeding whilst going to the toilet. He sought medical advice and after a number of tests and scans he was diagnosed with stage 4 (spread beyond the original tumour) bowel cancer, a huge blow for the Hucklebridge family. He was told that the tumour in his bowel had been in place for between 5-10 years and had also now spread via the lymph nodes into his lungs.
Just before Christmas in 2010 Huck started his first dose of chemotherapy which was given to him via a Hickman line which went straight into a vein near his heart. It was an extremely difficult Christmas for the family as Emma was struck down with swine-flu and Charlie was sent to stay with relatives so he did not get poorly and Mark went to stay with other family. The family were able to see each other for only an hour on Christmas Day with Mark having to wear a hospital face mask to ensure he did not pick anything up, as his immune system was weak due to the intense course of chemo he was receiving.
After three months of chemo, Mark endured five weeks of intense radiotherapy with more chemo to shrink the tumours. This was carried out every day at his local hospital, the RHU in Bath. After a short break, just six weeks Mark had his first major operation in June 2011 to remove the tumour in his bowel. Over a foot of the large bowel was removed and he was left with a colostomy bag for a while.
Mark then had to go through three more months of chemo and then the doctors reversed his colostomy. In May 2012 he went in for surgery again for another major operation where the middle lobe, around a 1/3 of his right lung was removed. In the September of that year he was back in again for yet more surgery, this time to remove a quarter of his liver after routine tests showed a tumour was present there.
As a family at that stage they really believed that Mark had beaten the cancer and that he was on his way to a full recovery. He went for three routine blood tests over a period of nine months and his blood levels began to drop and everything was looking very hopeful.
Then in January 2014 the blood test increased rapidly showing that the cancer had returned and had been growing at a fast rate for the past three months.
Mark soldiered on for the next year having treatment every other week and enjoying life with Emma and Charlie.
He made lots of memories with his family and watched Charlie compete in motocross every weekend.
Sadly Mark became very unwell in 2015 and passed away on 15th March 2018 leaving the Friends of Huck Charity as his legacy.
Friends of Huck, March 2017-
It is with a heavy heart, we have to anounce the news that Mark Hucklebridge passed away on the 15 March 2017. Mark was a true inspiration to everyone that had the pleasure to meet him.
It is with a heavy heart, we have to anounce the news that Mark Hucklebridge passed away on the 15 March 2017. Mark was a true inspiration to everyone that had the pleasure to meet him.
It was the same drive that pushed him to success in motocross, that helped Mark set up the Friends of Huck Charity to help sports people who have life changing illness and injury. Even though he was going through a tough battle himself, he still wanted to help others through the charity.
We know Emma, Charlie and the Hucklebridge family are touched by the words of support on facebook and social media and thank everyone for your kind messages.
RIP Huck
In March 2017 Mark lost his 6-year fight to bowel, liver and lung cancer. Whilst he was alive he set up the Friends of Huck Charity with his wife Emma and several family members or friends.
The Charity raises money for Cancer Charities and seriously ill or injured sportspeople.
His wish was the Charity to continue, to keep his memory alive and to support individuals, families and fellow sportspeople in similar situations. Please help support the charity and if you wish to hold an event please get in touch with us.
The Charity raises money for Cancer Charities and seriously ill or injured sportspeople.
His wish was the Charity to continue, to keep his memory alive and to support individuals, families and fellow sportspeople in similar situations. Please help support the charity and if you wish to hold an event please get in touch with us.
