Wigan Warriors fan Martyn ready to show iron will

Martyn Clarke, 47, from Orrell will attempt to take on seven half ironmans in seven days later this year, for ex-RL star Rob Burrow and Motor Neurone Disease.

Starting at Total Fitness in Wigan, each day Martyn will complete a 1.2 mile swim before embarking on a 56-mile bike ride through the borough and finishing off back at Total Fitness to complete a 13.1 mile run.

Martyn has already hosted a fund-raiser at former Warriors prop Lee Mossop’s coffee shop.

Martyn said: “The event was a great success. We had over 80 people come down and managed to raise over two thousand pounds already thanks to donations, the auction and through people taking pictures with the Challenge Cup.

“Everything sold in our auction and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves so it was a great night.”

The challenge has also received praise from MND sufferer Burrow, who in a tweet to Martyn said: “Such an amazing challenge - Martyn. I really don’t know how you do it. Really appreciated.”

While it is still two months until the event takes place, Martyn’s target of raising £7,777.77 is looking achievable.

“I originally made the target really low and it was smashed quite quickly. Kevin Sinfield did the same last year making his target all sevens because Rob Burrow’s charity is RB7 and that was also his playing number.

“If we reach that goal then I will have beat last year’s target of £6,500. Raising all the sevens will be target number one but I am hoping that we can get more than that.”

Martyn’s epic efforts have reached people all over the world, with him recruiting over 70 people from six countries who will join him for parts of the event, including Team GB marathon swimmer Hector Pardoe

“Hector competed for Team GB at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. He heard about the event so we made contact and he said that he will swim 1.2 miles every day in December in a pool in Montpellier where he currently lives. He is also going to try to raise funds for the charity over in France which will be great.

“The company I work for, Adient Seating, are getting a global team together to help support it as well as providing swim caps and logos for the challenge. We have people in America and South Africa who are going to run a half marathon as well as people in Belgium and Germany who are going to run and cycle.”

Martyn has also received help from local businesses offering facilities and equipment.

“I’ve trained at Lion’s Den for the last 10 years and Lee and Adele Forshaw have been supportive as well as Roshell from Total Fitness who has given me a free pass to train there as many times as I want before the event and they are also going to have an area dedicated to MND during the event week.

“B-Spoke cycles are going to provide bike servicing for me along with energy bars and because I will need around 60,000 calories for that week, Lean Kitchen ran by ex-Wigan player Kevin Brown are going to supply me with all the nutrition that I’ll need.”

People are encouraged to contact Martyn if they wish to join him for any part of the event. The challenge begins on December 11 and you can donate here.

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