Local Shrewsbury man set to run 7 marathons in 7 days for Heart Research UK
Local Shrewsbury resident, Ian Ford will be pushing his body to the limit as he attempts to take on the gruelling challenge of running 7 marathons over 7 consecutive days.
Ian, who is Store Manager for the specialist running shop in Shrewsbury, Up & Running certainly isn’t a novice when it comes to challenges. Since first discovering a passion for running over 10 years ago and having taken part in over 200 Park Runs, Ian has gone on to complete The Ultimate Trails 55k event in the Lake District, the Silkin Way Ultra, twice completed the 50-mile Long Mynd Hike and more recently the Race to the Stones, July 2022, a 100k Ultra. However, the 7-marathon fundraiser is set to be his biggest challenge to date, by far.
Ian will begin the challenge of completing 183.4 miles on 5th November to raise money for Heart Research UK, which Up & Running has launched a three-year partnership with to champion heart health as well as raise vital funds for the charity.
Talking about the upcoming challenge, Ian said: “I always need a purpose. If I’m training towards something, then I’m always more focused; without a goal I find it difficult to motivate myself. When I was looking for my next challenge, my colleague jokingly suggested 7 marathons on 7 consecutive days - the challenge was set!
“I’ve put in months of training, consisting of early starts, lots of slow easy miles that gives me time of my feet and I’m focusing on recovery more than ever. By completing the challenge, I hope to raise a substantial amount of money for Heart Research UK to fund the fantastic work they do. I’d be grateful of any donations people can spare to make this mammoth challenge worthwhile.”
To make a donation, please visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/upandrunninguk or there is a collection bucket in the Up & Running Shrewsbury shop.
