Perthshire Advertiser

Craig aims to lap up cash with garden run

- CLARE DAMODARAN

A Perthshire resident has started an unusual fundraisin­g challenge in his back garden.

Craig Lunn is aiming to complete a marathon by doing laps of his garden in Rattray’s Balmoral Road - but the green space is so small he is going to have to do an incredible 4200 laps to achieve the 26 mile and 385 yard distance.

The father-of-two is a key support worker who is fitting the challenge in between his shifts at work, using a fitness tracker to record his progress.

And he is doing it all to raise money for local charity, Perth Autism Support.

Craig explained: “It’s a bit of a ridiculous idea to be honest.

“A couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be funny to post a photo of my garden on Facebook saying how there was no way I could do a lockdown marathon.

“I had seen a post on social media from someone, an athlete, who was using their very spacious garden to keep fit during lockdown.

“But I’m not fit. And the patch of grass in our garden is just 360cm by 360cm. So trying to do a lockdown marathon in that space would make a fat man – me – very dizzy.

“Looking back it was a foolish idea to post my thoughts on Facebook, one I am likely to regret over the next few weeks.

“It wasn’t long before my wife Kirsty and her friend had challenged me to actually do it.

“Not one to back down from a challenge, I decided it would be fun, so here I am.”

Craig also decided he could use the opportunit­y to raise some much-needed funds for Perth Autism Support and has set himself a target of £500.

He said: “Perth Autism Support is a fantastic charity.

“It was created to support individual­s in Perth and Kinross who are aged 18 or under and on the autism spectrum, as well as their families.

“I’ve seen first-hand the awesome work it does and hope I can raise some funds to help it keep doing the great work it does.”

Craig’s young sons will be joining him in his efforts occasional­ly throughout his lockdown marathon, which will take just over 40 days to complete if he does 100 laps a day, and he will also be dressing up in various different outfits to keep it fun.

He said: “Kirsty runs Molke, the ethical clothing company which she started from our kitchen table here in Rattray, so I’m running some of the laps in Molke rainbow leggings and a unicorn tail, and I’m sure we’ll come up with some other ideas too, like swimming trunks and a snorkel, or walking backwards.

“I’m not a runner, nor fit, and have a tiny patch of grass to run on when I’m not at work so it won’t be a short job and I fully expect it to take me a few weeks.”

Craig has set up a Just Giving page and a dedicated Facebook page where regular updates will be posted so people can donate, follow his progress – and even join in if they would like to.

To support Craig’s efforts and follow his progress, see www.facebook.com/ craigsmara­thon or www.justgiving.com/ fundraisin­g/craig-lunn

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