Children’s charity, Dreams Come True, is calling for everyone – from the young, the old, families, individuals, cyclists, gymnasts to amateur and professional runners to join MarathonManUK Rob Young, on Boxing Day, as he continues his quest to run at least one marathon a day for a year to raise funds for children’s charities.
What better way to get rid of those added Christmas Day calories, get some fresh air, or test the kids’ new bikes out than a refreshing run with Rob on Boxing Day morning? People can arrive anytime from 4.00am to 9am and join Rob at any point during his run, which is being broadcast live on BBC Breakfast News. There will be plenty of refreshments available throughout to warm the cockles once people are done.
The 31-year-old, kilt-wearing runner has now completed 239 marathons in 225 consecutive days – a total of 6399 miles – more than a flight from London to Japan. He aims to finish his world-beating running feat at the London Marathon in April 2015 – where he will set off from Scotland, run all the way to London and then end his year-long endurance test at the London Marathon Finish Line.
Although he had never run a marathon before, Rob started his Marathon-a-day quest immediately after hearing about all the good causes people were running for during London Marathon 2014. He now has the support of Mo Farah, Richard Branson and Coldplay, to name just a few. Rob also has a solid team of professionals behind him, including Dr Courtney Kipps, the medical director of the London Triathlon, the Blenheim Triathlon, London’s Run To The Beat Half-marathon, and assistant medical director of the London Marathon. Working with the ISEH, Rob has become a person of scientific interest, undergoing tests to assess pain thresholds in VO2 Max and other tests. He will be consistently monitored throughout the year by the team there
Sue Fowler, Fundraising Manager, Dreams Come True said: “From the very beginning, Rob has been crying out for people to run or cycle beside him on his daily marathons – partly to help relieve the monotony of his 4 to 5 hour daily runs. We wanted to go one step further and organise one very special day where hundreds of people can join Rob on his run to show their support for the unbelievable fundraising challenge he has set out to achieve – all for the benefit of troubled and seriously or terminally ill children across the UK. Our ‘Run with Rob on Boxing Day’ event promises to be a day to remember for all those that take part and a great way to keep fit and raise awareness for a good cause at the same time.”
Rob has always wanted to complete a challenge of magnitude, but this is beyond what he had anticipated. Rob comments: “Pushing myself on a daily basis and raising money for charity is a dream come true for me. I had a difficult childhood and have always wanted to raise money to help children born into less fortunate situations. Boxing Day looks set to become a very special day for me and I am certainly looking forward to meeting as many people as I can that join me on my run. If I can inspire people to take up running and continue to raise significant funds to help children realise better lives, then that’s all the Christmas gifts I need to help push me towards achieving my London Marathon finish-line goal.”
Rob’s Marathon schedule is as follows:
3.40am – Sheen Gate – Start time – Lap 1
4.15am – Sheen Gate – Lap 2 (3 miles done)
6.00am – Sheen Gate – Lap 3 (12.2 miles done)
7.30am – Sheen Gate – Lap 4 (19.4 miles done)
8.50am – Sheen Gate – FINISH (26.53 miles done)
If people wants to support Rob, but can’t make the Boxing Day run, they can still help fulfill children’s dreams by donating at: https://www.justgiving.com/runningfordreamscometrue
