A duathlete was left hospitalised and in unbearable pain11:24, 16 Jun 2026Updated 11:26, 16 Jun 2026A duathlete was rushed to hospital with brain inflammation so severe he described it as feeling like there was "an alien trying to get out" of his head.‌He has now opened up about what it was like to receive his rare diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis. Bill Lankford, 62, a retired scientist based in Cambridge, said his sudden cold-like symptoms of fatigue, muscle ache and fever began after he completed a 50km ultra-distance swim-run across Scandinavia with his wife, Christina Lankford, 60, in August 2025.‌After roughly a week, Bill said he appeared to "feel a bit better" before experiencing headaches and flu-like symptoms, leading him to take a Covid-19 test that returned a negative result. Bill said he visited his GP within two and a half weeks due to "quite bad headaches", but doctors were unable to identify the cause of his symptoms.‌The following day, Bill attended hospital and doctors suggested it could be tick-borne Lyme disease, and he said he was prescribed antibiotics and told that he "should be feeling better" within days. Bill said that "there are no words in the English language to describe how painful" the next three days were for him, as he suffered debilitating headaches, sleep disruption, balance problems, blackouts, and sensitivity to "flickering lights and fast-moving images".He returned to hospital and underwent what he described as "hundreds" of tests – including cerebrospinal fluid sampling – before being diagnosed with tick-borne encephalitis in September 2025, aged 61.‌Bill said: "It's quite difficult for medical staff to diagnose. I was basically tested for everything from Aids to Zika... it's only when they did a spinal tap of the cerebrospinal fluid that they found the virus."But due to the illness and brain pressure, I don't remember any of the discussions about the diagnosis while in the hospital. I think for anyone who's going through anything to do with encephalitis, you don't take it all in."Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infection transmitted through tick bites that can trigger flu-like symptoms, loss of consciousness, acute headache, memory problems, emotional or behavioural changes and seizures, according to Encephalitis International. Prior to his diagnosis, Bill said he was in "very good shape" and was enjoying a "happy and healthy life" with his wife Christina, particularly after they began taking part in swim-run events from 2016 onwards.‌Bill explained that each race involved swimming and running across archipelagos or through lake districts while wearing a "wetsuit and shoes" throughout. In August 2025, the couple flew to Stockholm and completed several practice swim-runs with friends ahead of the main event on August 9 on the Aland archipelago, situated halfway between Sweden and Finland.Bill said: "You're running through the forests, cliffs and beaches and swimming across the bays and in between the islands. It was about 10km of swimming and just over 40km of running."Despite it being "quite hardcore", Bill said he maintained a "steady pace" and felt "really good" throughout the event, crossing the finish line within 11 hours. The couple then took time to unwind afterwards with tubs and saunas, along with camping and sightseeing, during which Bill noticed what he believed to be red midge and mosquito bites on his body.‌According to the NHS, tick bites are not usually painful, but they can cause a red lump to develop, as well as swelling, itchiness, blistering and bruising. It is vital to remove ticks swiftly and carefully using tweezers to gently grip the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull steadily away without crushing it.It was during their journey back to the UK, approximately five days after finishing the race, that Bill said he began experiencing what he believed was a "cold coming on", including symptoms of fatigue, muscle ache and fever.‌He said: "I completely rationalised it, with all of the transport we took and people from different countries. Of course I might get a cold because my immune system is probably a bit depressed from the event."After around a week, Bill noticed his symptoms eased, but he then began suffering from a persistent headache and flu-like symptoms. By the time he consulted a doctor roughly two-and-a-half weeks after first feeling unwell, Bill said his headache had deteriorated, but his GP was unable to identify the cause and advised him to monitor it and visit hospital if there was no improvement. This led to Bill being prescribed antibiotics for suspected Lyme disease, but after three days of taking them, his debilitating headaches intensified.Bill said: "Now my headache is like an alien trying to get out of my head. There are no words in the English language to describe how painful it is."‌Despite taking paracetamol and ibuprofen, Bill found himself only able to sleep in 20-minute bursts due to the pain. He also struggled with his balance and coordination, was unable to lift his feet properly, developed a sensitivity to bright lights and moving images, and suffered "momentary blackouts".He made his way to A&E by taxi, where he was admitted and placed on an IV drip of "antivirals, antifungals and antibacterials". For three days, Bill underwent tests for everything from "Aids to Zika", yet doctors initially had "no idea" what was wrong, as tick-borne encephalitis is regarded as rare in the UK, according to Encephalitis International.Taking into account his recent travels to Scandinavia, doctors carried out cerebrospinal fluid sampling and confirmed the diagnosis. Bill remained in hospital for a week, during which the IV treatment began to improve his condition, though his recovery proved to be a lengthy process.‌Bill said: "Without anyone at home, I couldn't have looked after myself. It's a bizarre thing where you come out of hospital in a wheelchair and then go to your bed and just tough it out."According to the UK Government, there is no specific treatment for tick-borne encephalitis, though a vaccine exists to help guard against it, and Bill urged "anyone who is active" in tick-prone areas to "consider" getting vaccinated. In the immediate aftermath of his diagnosis, Bill said he could not "walk more than 500 metres" at a time and was forced to rely on a walking stick due to problems with balance and coordination.‌He has also struggled with spontaneous muscle tremors, spatial awareness, nightmares, chronic fatigue, emotion regulation, anxiety, and short-term memory loss. Nine months on from his diagnosis, Bill said he has managed to gradually rebuild his physical fitness by progressively walking his dogs further each time, taking short bicycle rides and doing pilates.This past weekend he was able to complete his first swim-run event since contracting tick-borne encephalitis, covering a total of 22km in Dorset.Reflecting on how far he has come, Bill said: "In terms of physical fortitude, I'm pretty proud. I would never be able to do the long distance events that we did – that's clearly off the table – but I'm able to do much shorter events. It's not perfect, but I'm really pleased with that."Article continues belowFor more information about Encephalitis International, visit its website.