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Oct
Ripon man to run 330 miles in six days for charity
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A Ripon man will run 330 miles in six days for charity next year.
Mark Brooks, 51, will run the Greenwich Meridian Trail for Martin House Children’s Hospice in January.
The Greenwich Meridian Trail is a long-distance, semi-coastal walk that stretches from Sand Le Mere in East Yorkshire to Peacehaven in Sussex.
The run is part of an event called The Line 300: a six-day, unsupported 330-mile ultramarathon challenge. Participants must provide food and water for themselves and sleep rough throughout the event.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Mr Brooks yesterday (October 29) to find out why he’s doing it:
I do long-distance running anyway. I did 268 miles a couple of years ago, and this was the next challenge available. A lot of [why I do ultramarathons] is to test myself and my mental grit.
The 51-year-old only started running eight years ago when his son, Lewis, introduced him to park runs. Soon after that, he joined a running club.
He was inspired by the runners in his club who often did 100-mile runs and decided to take up ultramarathon challenges.
Although he is allowed six days to complete the challenge, Mr Brooks is aiming to cover 66 miles per day over just five.
He has been training two to three times a week, with a mixture of long and ‘short’ runs – which consist of a measly distance of over 20 miles.
So, how does Mr Brooks cope with the mental and physical demands of such long-distance running?
He said:
You just have to take it one mile at a time. Once you allow doubt to creep in, it could end very badly. You have to try to block it out.
Martin House Children’s Hospice is a Wetherby-based charity that provides free care for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.
While Brooks does not have any personal ties to the charity, he said he had seen that they were fundraising to expand their facilities.
Mark Brooks hopes to raise £3,300 by the time he completes his challenge in January. The link to his GoFundMe page can be found here.
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