Marathon man's success for cancer charity

A charity fund-raiser has crossed the finish line after running a marathon every day for a month - but his challenge is not over yet.
Gary MortonGary Morton
Gary Morton

Gary Morton, 43, ran from Wigan to the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre on the Wirral yesterday for his final 26.2-mile run.

The father-of-two had challenged himself to run 31 marathons in 31 days in aid of the charity as his mother-in-law Gillian Walker, from Shevington, has melanoma.

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He has been leaving his home in Rossendale in the early hours of the morning each day to run to work in Pemberton.

He was joined by friends, who covered all or part of the marathon distance each day to keep him company, and he kept his supporters updated with videos on Facebook, often as he ran.

Gary then did a full day of work as head of purchasing for DW Sports, before going home to rest his tired muscles, refuel and get plenty of sleep.

He said: “It has been a really tough few weeks but the support of family, friends and people I have never met before has kept me going.”

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Gary set a target of raising £30,000 for the Clatterbridge, the same amount he raised in a previous charity challenge.

And he looked to be closing in on his target as he completed his final marathons this weekend.

His wife Lindsay’s mother Gillian is making good progress after undergoing immunotherapy treatment and supported her son-in-law in his challenge.

Jeni Nugent, fund-raising manager for the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: “We are absolutely blown away by what Gary has done. To run one marathon is an achievement, to take on 31 in 31 days is a truly superhuman effort.

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“We want to say a huge thank you to Gary and his support team for helping transform cancer care.”

Gary ran a total of 812.2 miles - almost as far as the distance from Wigan to Zurich in Switzerland.

Despite completing his challenge of running 31 marathons in 31 days, Gary is not yet able to put up his feet.

He initially set a goal of running 10km every day for a year, which he started in January and will resume today.

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He ran 13 miles a day for 13 days to increase his mileage, before deciding to do the marathons.

Gary has previously raised large amounts of money for charity through other challenges, including swimming the English Channel.

He is a keen runner and has also completed Ironman triathlons.

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