Running shop manager to take on seven marathons in seven days for charity

A running shop manager will be pushing his body to the limit as he attempts the gruelling challenge of running seven marathons over seven consecutive days.

Ian Ford, store manager for the specialist running shop in Shrewsbury, Up & Running, will be taking on the task to raise money for Heart Research UK.

He certainly isn’t a novice when it comes to challenges – since first discovering a passion for running more than 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 seven-marathon fundraiser is set to be his biggest challenge to date, by far.

He will begin the task of completing 183.4 miles on November 5.

He 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 seven marathons on seven 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.”

People can support Ian’s efforts by visiting justgiving.com/fundraising/upandrunninguk and there is also collection bucket in the Up & Running Shrewsbury shop.

By Dominic Robertson

@DRobertson_Star

Chief Reporter

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