Marathon man sets his sights on Forth Valley
Optician’s 14 runs in 14 days for rugby charity
Forth Valley hosted the latest leg of a special endurance challenge yesterday - to raise cash and to support the hard work of NHS staff.
Optician Dylan Russell is taking on a Scottish first during this month, running a half marathon every day in each of Scotland’s 14 health board areas to raise funds for Hearts and Balls, a rugby charity which offers support to those impacted by catastrophic injury.
The gruelling challenge kicked off during lockdown, with Dylan pledging to run 35km a week for a full year from June 1, 2021.
He has managed that task and so has decided to take it up a notch in the final two weeks by running a half marathon for 14 days in a row, beginning in the Highland region on May 19 and finishing up in Lothian next Wednesday.
Dylan is being backed by a series of sponsors in each of the areas as he runs them, aiming to add to the £4,000 he has already raised for the charity while also drawing attention to the efforts of NHS workers during the pandemic and beyond.
Dylan said: “The 365 Challenge came to mind on a New Year’s Day run in 2021. Running was something that I could do alone or with people and it wouldn’t be impacted if Covid reared its head and slowed things down again.”
“It felt right to pay homage to the NHS and all the other key workers who have supported the country through Covid.
“That’s when I came up with the multi-location event and this is a first for Scotland.
“Fourteen half marathons, across 14 days, in all 14 Scottish health boards.
“Tuesday is Vision Scotland’s turn. They have supported me in covering the Forth Valley route.”
“With Covid I knew fundraising would be really challenging so wanted to do something big to help out. With no rugby and also gyms being shut I needed something to train towards from a mental standpoint to keep me driven.”
If you want to support Dylan on his 14 half-marathons in 14 days, you can donate via gofundme.com/f/ tyzhs-365-challenge.
It felt right to pay homage to the NHS who have supported the country through Covid