A Burnham-On-Sea mother and son are set to take on a challenge of running 320 miles in 11 days to raise funds for two local good causes.
Julie Lench and her son Alfie Lismore-Pope, 17, are taking on the feat of running the distance of 11 ultra marathons in 11 days.
They will be raising funds for Burnham youngster Jack Gyde, 5, who, as reported here, has been diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk Neuroblastoma, prompting a £250,000 campaign for vital cancer treatment. Some of the duo’s funds will also go to In Charley’s Memory.
Julie says: “We are members of the Burnham-On-Sea Harriers running club and are taking on this challenge to support two local causes, little Jack Gyde, a local 5 year old boy who is suffering with Neuroblastoma, and the mental health charity In Charley’s Memory.”
“We have never met Jack but felt very strongly that we wanted to help him when we heard his story. Jack attends a school within the Wessex Learning Trust, as does my eldest son. I also work within the Wessex Learning Trust and it just felt like it was what we were meant to do!”
She adds: “This challenge is going to be incredibly tough as I’ve never run a marathon, let alone 11 ultras back to back.”
“However, in the grand scheme of things, 11 days of pain is nothing compared to what Jack and anyone who suffers with mental health goes through for a lot longer.”
They will start their run on July 24th, running from North Wales to Burnham, and aim to finish at the Burnham and Highbridge Parkrun on 3rd August.
“As Parkrun starts at 9am, it means we are going to have to start our run at around 2am that day,” she adds. “We would love all the support we can get for this challenge and donations can be made using the link below.”
Click here for the pair’s fundraising page to make a donationÂ