Ultra-marathon man Jason goes the extra mile to help school

A Peterborough father went the extra mile to help a special school - completing a 30 mile run around the city’s athletic track.

Jason Lovett took on an ultra-marathon challenge to raise vital funds for Heltwate School – where his son, Anakin attends. Anakin (6), who is non-verbal autistic, joined his dad for part of the run, giving Jason extra motivation to finish the huge challenge. Jason (51) was still recovering from the run this week, but Lisa Sachse, his partner and Anakin’s mum, spoke of her pride after he completed the gruelling 120 laps of the track. She said: “Every year we do something to raise money for charity – he has done seven half marathons in seven days in the past – and every year it gets bigger and bigger. This idea came because Anakin started at Heltwate in September, in the new building. In the old building of the school, they have ‘spinners,’ which really help Anakin and other children calm down and concentrate – but they don’t have them in the new building.

"They are really important for the children there, so the money raised will make a real difference.” Children from Heltwate also turned up to give Jason support, with many choosing to complete a lap with him. Lisa said: “The children were fantastic, and took time to run with him, racing along the track – it really kept him going.”

So far Jason has raised more than £1,400 for the school – with colleagues at KFC donating hundreds for the cause. You can still donate by visiting https://www. gofundme.com/f/aroundand-around-we-go

Jason Lovett doing a super marathon at the Embankment track – cheered on by Heltwate School pupils