James Bassett

AManx man recently took on the exhausting Lon Las Ultra race to raise money for a children's charity. James Bassett is a personal trainer from Peel, and while he'd run in long races before, he had never done it to this extent. The Los Las Ultra is the United Kingdom's longest race, spanning 253 miles from Holyhead to Cardiff, Wales - the equivalent of 10 consecutive marathons and 20,000 feet of climbing. As if that weren't enough, runners must carry all their belongings with them (support cars aren't allowed) and meet a time limit of 88 hours. In the end, Bassett paired up with another runner for support and safety. “You get so tired that you can start making daft decisions so it was better that we stayed together, that way you can debate whether something really is a good idea,” Bassett told IOM Today after the race. The two crossed the finish line in first place after 76 hours. “My wife and my sister were waiting for me with a big Manx flag, so I got to carry the Manx flag over the finishing line.” It's hard to say what exactly kept Bassett going, but perhaps part of it was knowing he was raising money for The Children's Centre. The Manx charity aims to develop “a variety of community initiatives and services aimed at enabling children, young people, and families to realise their full potential.” Bassett raised £2,490.