Plucky dad clocks up 3,600km for Autistic Society
ADAD-OF-TWO ran an average of 10k a day for 12 months to raise thousands of pounds for the National Autistic Society.
Si Hall, 33, ran 3,650km - the equivalent distance from Rochdale to Beirut during 2018 for the charity, which aims to improve the lives of people with autism in schools, work and the community.
Si does much of his running around Rochdale and Whitworth, as he and wife Becky used to live there – on Market Street.
He has two sons, Dyllan, 12, and Isaac, nine, and when his youngest was diagnosed with autism in November 2017, he decided to do something to make a difference to others with the condition.
“I’d never heard of anyone doing anything like this before,” he said.
“I don’t know where the idea for the distance came from, but I thought ‘I can manage that’. It was massively harder than I than I thought it would be.”
Si, who currently maintains bridges for the county council but is due to start a new career as a firefighter in September, smashed his target of £6,000, raising around £8,000 in total by the time he completed his final run on New Year’s Eve.
He said: “Initially I set a target of just £1,500, then when I saw how well it was going I put it up to £6,000, but in the end I’ve raised about £8,000 with donations still coming in.”
Some of Si’s most memorable runs included two days along Hadrian’s Wall, 90 kilometres from Liverpool to Blackburn in one day, and 64 kilometres in laps around Cowm Reservoir in the freezing rain.
Si, who now lives in Bacup, finished his year of running with a 10k route on New Year’s Eve, from Whitworth around Watergrove Reservoir, finishing at the Red Lion Inn – for a well-earned drink.
He added: “I have a group of friends who I’ve really bonded with over this year of running, and they made sure I never did a run alone. I still had 500 kilometres left to do at the beginning of December and I said ‘I don’t think I can do it’.
“I injured my ankle as well and that really set me back, but they said ‘you’re not giving up now’. The support from everyone has been unbelievable, I can’t thank people enough.
“I will be having a rest for a little while, but it may only be a couple of weeks or so. I will be staying active, and looking forward to actually enjoying a run.”
To donate, text STKR66 £ and the amount to 70070 or visit www.justgiving. com/fundraising/si-hall10k.