Epic challenge for marathon man

Andrew Shanley, 48, has pledged to raise £3,000 for a Lake District based charity that works with young people.

Setting out on Friday, May 8 and finishing on Sunday, May 17, along with 14 others who were selected for the event, Andrew will run the same 26.2 miles each day.

The anti-clockwise route will see him circumnavigating England’s longest lake, Windermere, 10 times.

Described by adventurer and extreme survival expert Bear Grylls as “an epic challenge that will require an epic strength of mind”, only 79 people have completed it since it started in 2007. It is organised by the charity Brathay Trust as their flagship fundraiser.

The father-of-three, a self-employed air conditioning engineer, says he started running half marathons in 2007 as a way of losing weight and keeping motivated. He said; “My sons helped me train by riding out on their bikes while I ran. A mile seemed such a long way and I’d ask how far we’d gone and get the reply ‘only quarter of a mile, dad!’”

Andrew, whose mother died of cancer when he was 17, said: “This is why when I see what Brathay does with vulnerable children and young people I can relate to how important their work is.”

Andrew Shanley has already raised £750 for local and national charities including Marie Curie and St John’s Hospice.

Visit his JustGiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/Andrewshanley10in10/.