North Shields runner raises £750 for charity with Holy Island ultra-marathon
A determined runner has taken on a gruelling 100km ultra marathon to Holy Island to raise vital funds for charity.
Sean Waller, 41, from North Shields completed the St Cuthbert’s Way Ultra, also known as The Race Against the Tide, raising more than £750 for The People’s Kitchen.
The challenge saw Sean tackle the full 100km route along St Cuthbert’s Way, crossing the border between Scotland and England before finishing on Holy Island in Northumberland.
The ultra starts in the Scottish Border at Melrose and follows the spectacular St Cuthbert’s Way through the Borders and Northumberland National Park, with competitors facing a strict time limit and, appropriately, the challenge of reaching Holy Island before the tide cuts them off.
For Sean, however, the gruelling challenge was about more than personal achievement.
He decided to take on his first 100km ultra as a personal challenge while raising money for The People’s Kitchen, a charity he and his family feel provide an enormously important service to people in need across Newcastle.
Sean said: “My family and I think that the work The People’s Kitchen does is phenomenal and hugely important.
“I recently ran the 100km St Cuthbert’s Way Ultra to raise money for this amazing charity, and I hope this provides some support for the crucial work they do.”
Sean’s fundraising page has since reached £753.60, with a further £153.40 in Gift Aid, and donations continue to support the charity’s work.
The People’s Kitchen operates 365 days a year, providing 300 hot meals every day, as well as clothing and, importantly, a safe and welcoming place where people can have a hot meal, a warm drink and someone to talk to.
Sean’s fundraising page highlighted the simple things that many people take for granted – being warm, clean, clothed and fed, and having somebody to talk to.
“When I was running, I kept thinking about why I was raising funds for the The People's Kitchen, it does such important work to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community,” he added.
Donations can still be made to Sean’s fundraiser via JustGiving.