Haddenham resident, Rob McLoughlin, is about to hit Hadrian's Wall! Not literally, you understand, but with the intention of running its entire length for charity.
Rob's desire to support a particular charity arose from what he saw about Alexander, the boy who needed thousands of pounds for treatment. That story also made a significant impression on his own two young children: Maggie, 5 and Eddie, 7. In addition, Rob knows of people in Haddenham who have been touched by cancer amongst their children, and so his chosen charity is 'Kids N Cancer'.
Rob will be running the length of Hadrian's Wall on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June, from Carlisle in the West to Newcastle in the East. It's a 2-day run – the aim being to cover 32 miles on the first day and 37 miles on the second.
Rob will be running with Matt Frost, a friend from Wendover, who is also mad enough to take on this type of challenge!
It's not a task to be taken lightly or without some preparation, of course. Even walking it can be tough, as the image shows. Rob has been training on and off for about six months – which he suspects is probably the bare minimum required! And given his busy work schedule involving travel to China, the US and Europe this year already, he's found it quite a challenge to fit the training in. Rob is therefore realistic about the physical demands he will be facing: "The longest run I have managed in preparation is 30 miles, but I don't know yet how I will feel on Day 2 of this challenge!"
The two runners will each be carrying rucksacks during their exertions, containing their essentials for each day; but will also have a support vehicle kindly driven by Matt's Dad who will be carrying a change of clothes for the two runners on Saturday night.
The plan is to leave Carlisle Castle on Saturday at 8.00am and arrive in Newcastle city centre on Sunday evening...
Although Rob has run marathons in the past, he has never run this far on two consecutive days. He reflects on this: "I am best described as someone with mental stamina and some physical stamina, which is a good thing as my training has been pretty limited at best. But it's a great cause, and I'm hoping to raise some serious money to help these young people as they face their own physical and emotional challenges."
If you'd like to encourage Rob and help boost his fundraising efforts, please visit his donation site – you'll find a direct link here.
