On the 1st of January 2022, Gary McKee began his 365 marathons in 365 days challenge, which means he is running a marathon every single day of the year. Gary runs the same 26.2 mile route, starting and finishing from his home in Cleator Moor, as well as working full time and being a busy family man with 3 children. This is Gary’s biggest challenge to date, aiming to raise a staggering £1 million for two charities close to his heart: Hospice at Home West Cumbria and Macmillan Cancer Support.
As Marathon Man’s 365 Challenge continues, we duck behind the scenes with Amy, one of Gary’s support team, to get some insider gossip.
Q. How long have you known Gary?
A. I have known Gary from when I was about nine or ten. My brother and Gary’s nephew Ryan are best friends plus Gary is a key figure at Wath Brow Hornets where I spend a lot of my time!
Q. Describe Gary in 3 words.
A. Idiot. Legend. Hero.
Q. We know you have been friends with Gary for many years, but how did you become involved in Gary’s challenges?
A. I first started getting involved when Gary asked me to put my name forward to help raised £10,000. He wanted 100 people to raise £100 and I just thought “why not?!” I managed to raise over £4,000 by staying quiet for a full 80 minutes at a Wath Brow versus Egremont game. When he started the 110 Challenge, Gary messaged me asking if I’d be part of a support team that he was putting together. Once he explained what he was wanting to do, I was all in. My grandma had recently been diagnosed with blood cancer and it was a no brainer! The rest is history.
Q. What’s your role in the support team?
A. I am responsible for Gary’s social media accounts. I load up his daily videos to Facebook and Twitter and I’m constantly having to think up new content to share in order to keep people’s interest. I also do live feeds and of course I’m his constant cheerleader.
Q. What is the most difficult part of the challenge for yourself, and what do you think is the most difficult part for Gary?
A. For me, it is dragging myself out of bed at a weekend to cover the socials with a live feed. I think about what Gary is doing and then I feel guilty for wanting a lie in! The hardest part for Gary is fitting everything in to one day. Running a marathon, work, being a husband and a dad. Suddenly, getting out of bed doesn’t seem so bad! I’ve definitely got the easier ride!
Q. How quickly do you think the year has gone?
A. Very quickly. It’s hard to think about what I’ll be doing every weekend or spare day in 2023!
Q. Any messages for people out there reading this?
A. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported Gary so far. We know these are tough times so if you can’t support the challenge financially, please just share any social media posts or share the fundraising link with your friends and contacts. Every little push helps.
To support Gary visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/threesixfive
