A father and son duo have taken their love of running to the next extreme by completing a combined total of 118 miles in 24 hours to raise funds for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
Retired 69-year-old Mike and son Dean, 36, raised £540 by completing ‘Equinox 24’, a noon-to-noon race at Leicestershire’s Belvoir Castle.
The pair, who have been running to fundraise for Rosemere Cancer Foundation for 11 years, had to repeat a six mile (10km) mixed terrain and sometimes hilly lap around the estate.
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Mike said: “Dean had a fantastic result in that he achieved 88 miles and was 17th out of 270 other solo runners.
“I did 30 miles but had to call it quits because of a hip injury. There was no point risking further injury as we have
some big plans for next year.”
Those plans include marking Mike’s 70 th birthday by taking part in the Al Andalus Ultimate Trail in Southern Spain next July, a 230km (144 miles) five day event with numerous long climbs (ascents totalling 7,200m) in temperatures of between 30-40C.
They will follow that in October with another five day event, the Ultra X Jordan, a 250km (155 miles) desert trek across Lawrence of Arabia land.
Mike began supporting Rosemere Cancer Foundation in thanks for cancer treatment Mike’s late dad received at Rosemere Cancer Centre.
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Over the years, they have climbed Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro and Argentina’s Aconcagua and run the Gobi and Atacama Deserts.
Dean has also competed in the infamous Marathon des Sables, a Sahara Desert race billed as the toughest event on earth, while Mike completed the 62-mile London to Brighton ultra marathon.
Together they have run the 127- mile length of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal non stop and undertaken 16-hour
Asda foyer row-a-thons.
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