30 marathons in 30 days = £30,000 for the Brathay Trust

The Brathay Trust is a charity that works with some of the most vulnerable, disengaged and 'hard to reach' young people. They organise the Brathay Windermere Marathon, which will be held on 18th May in 2014. Entries are now open.

Meanwhile, Chris Heaton, a recently recruited Trustee of Brathay Trust, is taking on the challenge of a lifetime by attempting to run an astonishing 30 marathons in 30 consecutive days.

Chris, aged 54, will run some of the steepest marathon routes in the country in a bid to raise £30,000 for Brathay Trust. He’s set to undertake the challenge in September and he admits that he’s starting to feel nervous ahead of what will be by far the biggest, most gruelling physical challenge that he has ever faced.

“I’m beginning to get a little bit frightened by it now,” he said. “I’m confident that I can do it but these things are mentally tough in the build-up. Once you start, though, the stress disappears.”

Chris will alternate his runs between two official marathon courses in Windermere and Great-Langdale, considered by many to be one of the toughest, most hilly courses in the UK.

And with the prospect of running 786 miles in a month without the support of a physiotherapist, Chris’s wife, Gina, has also expressed some concerns. “When I told Gina she was totally horrified, but she knew she wasn’t going to stop me,” said Chris, who is Chairman of the Sheffield Assay Office. “My children are in their 20s and think it’s wonderful. There’s definitely a cut-off age of around 35 where people go from thinking it’s great to thinking I’m going to die!”

Chris has even compiled a list of startling facts which reflect the enormity of his challenge. During the endeavour he will take around one-and-a half million steps, ascending and descending more than three times the height of Everest from sea level. Chris also estimates that he will consume at least 180,000 calories.