North Shields teenager who lost his dad aged 10 takes on 125km challenge for St Oswald's Hospice
A North Shields teenager who lost his dad at just 10-years-old is taking on a 125km challenge for St Oswald's Hospice. Charles McManus, now 18, is aiming to run to every station on the Tyne and Wear Metro network, in just one day.
Charles is raising funds for the charity in memory of his dad David who died in 2017, after receiving palliative care from St Oswald's Hospice. Charles has created a running route which will pass every one of the 60 Metro stations.
The challenge will begin at 3am this coming Sunday, at South Hylton station in Sunderland, before running through South and North Tyneside, ending up at Monument station in the centre of Newcastle to complete the challenge. Charles is a seasoned runner with several half and full marathons under his belt, but this is by far his most ambitious run to date.
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He said: "I am into ultra running and read a lot of books on the subject. I keep fit and run regularly, so although the challenge sounds daunting, I am confident I can do it. I have been training to improve my cardio fitness but also doing leg work at the gym and cycling to improve my leg strength."
After David died in 2017, Charles and his family, made up of his mum, younger sister and older brother, accessed bereavement support from St Oswald's Hospice's Family Support Service.
Speaking about his dad and his memories of him, Charles added: "When Dad was at the hospice, I remember going to visit him after my football training.
"I’d get a hot chocolate from the machine there and we’d sit together watching ‘Play to the Whistle’ on TV, as he loved that programme. We’d just chat about school, football, anything really."
"I just wanted to do something to help others who are in a similar position to my family, when dad was unwell. I heard about the man who ran the length of Africa for charity and that gave me the inspiration to do something myself, which is where the idea came to run the Metro map.
"My dad used to push himself with his fitness and had taken part in 100 mile cycles before, so I although he might think I was a bit mad to do this, I know he would be proud of me too."
Lynne Dickinson, Head of Station Delivery at Nexus, said: "This is a fantastic fundraising challenge that Charles is undertaking along our Metro lines. We all wish him well with it.
"To run the whole length of our yellow and green lines in a single day is a huge test of fitness and endurance. The run is taking place on the quickest routes adjacent to our lines, so none of it will actually be taking place on the actual tracks themselves."
Charles' fundraising page can be found here, with his uncle Andrew also raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Donations will be split between the the respective charities.