Earlier this year, we shared that Michael “Mountain Mike” Watson had completed his Wainwright Challenge in support of his friend, Gary McKee (aka Marathon Man) who is currently running 365 marathons in 2022 to raise £1million for Hospice at Home West Cumbria and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Mike’s challenge saw him complete two rounds of Wainwrights, plus an extra 72, to round his total up to 500!
But not content with finishing there, Mike has continued his personal challenge and is now walking the equivalent length of Land’s End to John O’Groats. He follows the same route as Gary and walks two full marathons and one half marathon every week.
Our Marketing and Income Generation Team Leader, Stella Walsh, joined him at the weekend to complete a half marathon and show her support.
Stella said, “Getting up at 5am is not the normal way I start my Sundays and although I wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic at the early alarm call, my little cockerpoo Buddy was excited and raring to go! After a strong coffee, I was starting to feel more ready to face the cycle path and join Mike for the challenge ahead. We set off at 06:30am, in the dark, with an energetic Facebook live feed for our socials. The pace was quick, and the weather stayed (fairly) kind. The crack was good and before we knew it, we’d knocked in 13 miles. We were back at base for 11am, Michael “done” for another day, myself – quite possibly “done for” altogether. It was a great way to spend a Sunday and I was pleased to be able to show my support and gratitude for all the hard work and commitment that is shown by people like Mike and Gary. At Hospice at Home West Cumbria, we have to raise over 1 million every year in order to provide our services free of charge to families in the community. It is only by the generosity of our supporters that we can continue to deliver excellent care to those that need it most.”
Amy Caddy, a member of Gary McKee’s support team, also joined in on the half marathon to support Mike and was able to cover Gary’s challenge from another angle to share across the Marathon Man 365 socials.
There is still time to support Gary’s 365 challenge at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/threesixfive
If you would like to fundraise for Hospice at Home West Cumbria, please visit our website at How You Can Help Us for tips and ideas.
