When running one long distance race for charity isn’t enough…
Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley is set to benefit from the fundraising efforts of Russell WBHO site manager David Ragan.
David hopes to raise £500 for the charity which supports children with life-limiting conditions by running the London Marathon on October 3rd. He has also signed up to the Great North Run in Newcastle on September 12th as something of a training session.
The dad of three from Bamber Bridge is looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere of the city road races after last year having to take part in the “Virtual London Marathon” when the main event was scrapped due to Covid.
The chalked up a very respectable 4hr 50mins for his first marathon by completing seven laps of his home town, registering the run via an app to make it official, and raised £600 for the NSPCC.
With Covid restrictions having eased and race organisers confirming both meets will go ahead, David is hoping the fans lining the streets will help spur him on to better last years’ time.
He said: “I’m looking forward to running in Newcastle and London with the other runners and spectators making a fantastic atmosphere. My wife and sons will also be there in London to cheer me on, so that will be amazing.
“I’m not too worried about the 13-mile GNR as I’m up to 17 miles on my Sunday morning training sessions anyway, but London will definitely be a big challenge at 26 miles. I’ve continued training since last year’s virtual event at 5am five times a week, even when I was working on site at our logistics project in Glasgow, so I’m in good shape for it, but a marathon is a very long way and I’d be absolutely over the moon to beat my time.”
All the money raised will go to Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley which provides respite and end-of-life care for children in the central Lancashire area. The charity’s funds have been hard hit by the pandemic which has prevented many of the annual fundraising events from taking place and its charity shops to be closed.
David said: “It costs upwards of £5m to run Derian House for a year, with 88% of that needing to be raised by members of the public. They’ve missed out on so much because their usual fundraisers have been cancelled for the last 18 months, so every penny I can raise will help them to continue providing amazing support to children and their families at what must be the most unbelievably difficult time.”
To support David, visit his online fundraising page today.
