A WREXHAM builder is preparing to run a gruelling 250km over five days to raise money for a charity that supports people with their mental health.
Shane Crawford, 24, a site manager for Anwyl Homes, will set off on the ‘ultra-marathon’ on November 2 in a group of 25 runners.
The challenge involves running an average of 50km a day (31 miles) on planned routes around Bath, Somerset, returning to their base each evening to camp overnight.
Shane and his fellow ultra-runners are all raising money and awareness for Wales-based charity bigmoose, who provide support to people around mental health, homelessness and suicide prevention.
The charity is campaigning in 2022 to raise £1 million as part of “bigmoose project 1 million”, which will be used to provide therapy and early intervention for people, with the ultimate aim of saving lives. It will also provide training for businesses to better support their teams.
Shane’s employers Anwyl have donated £500 towards his cause, and he is aiming to raise over £1,000 in total.
Describing himself as “your average runner”, Shane has been training for the race for months in between his day job as a site manager at Anwyl’s Deva Green development in Chester.
He said: “’I’ve only ever ran three ultra-marathons before, which were all 50 km in one day. Doing that for five consecutive days is going to be a huge challenge but it’s for a really great cause.”
Shane’s friend Lewis Robling, from London, arranged the challenge after seeing first-hand the amazing work bigmoose were doing to support people’s mental health.
Shane added: “This is Lewis’s fifth five-day challenge already this year and he’s raised thousands of pounds for bigmoose. He’s only just completed an ultra-marathon in the dessert in Jordan and I’m just hoping his feet recover in time for November 2! I just want to help him as much as I can.
“I’m a little bit nervous and it all feels very real now, but training has gone well and I’ve really increased my distances the past four weeks.”
To show your support for Shane and make a donation visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ShaneCrawford
