Long-time member of Chorley Athletic Club Vet70 John Swift is seeking support for a sponsored run he is planning for May 28th.
Shocked at the sight of so many servicemen returning from the front line in Afghanistan with broken bodies and minds he is planning to support the Help for Heroes charity with a run down part of the Pennine Way.
Not content with an easy day out John, will attempt to run along the Pennine Way from Gargrave in the West Riding to Edale in the Derbyshire Peak District, a distance of 70 miles within 24 hours.
The fact that John is 71 years old and one of the few septuagenarians still competing in ultra distance running will not make this personal challenge an easy one. John recently outpaced many younger runners in the Brighton Marathon to dip below 4 hours.
Twice before John has covered the distance. As a 56-year-old he completed the Bob Graham Round, a 72-mile, 24-hour tour of 42 of the highest mountains in the Lake District and five years ago he took on another personal challenge running 72 miles along Hadrian’s Wall from Newcastle to the Solway Firth in just over 17 hours. He has also completed the 48-mile Joss Naylor traverse from Pooley Bridge near Penrith to Greendale Bridge in Wasdale.
On his Pennine Way outing, he will be assisted by a team of experienced fell runners who will run in relay with him to ensure safety and to carry extra clothing and essential food.
His biggest problem in preparing for the run will be keeping injury free while building up his training programme to over 90 miles a week.
John is hoping that potential donors will be inspired by the enormity of the task and will pledge support either by contacting him by email (johnswift.north@gmail.com) or through the on-line giving site where donations can be made www.bmycharity.com/70at70tohelpHeroes. There is also a personal blog where John’s training progress can be followed -- http://70at70forheroes.blogspot.com.
Club Chairman, International Race Walker John Payn said " This is a tremendous undertaking by John Swift and we hope as many people as possible support him on his quest to help the Help for Heroes Charity- he is an inspiration to all of us! ".
