An Inspiration

I was out on the towpath this morning in the sunshine with Meg when a guy came jogging along. Not unusual, I hear you say. True. But he stopped for a chat, having seen the Liverpool ½ marathon T shirt I was wearing. As you do, I asked him how far he was going. “London” was the reply. “No” I said, “how far are you running now, not what are you training for” His reply left me speechless for a moment. He’s running from Altrincham, Cheshire, to London, then doing the London Marathon next Sunday. Wow. That’s a big challenge, around 180 miles without the last 26.2 in the capital.

His name is Charlie Pearson, and his route is mainly along canals. He’s on the Trent and Mersey till Fradley, then the Coventry to Hawkesbury Junction, the North Oxford to Braunston then the final leg south on the Grand Union main line.

So if you’re anywhere on these canals in the next week, keep an eye out and give him a wave. I’m sure he’d appreciate it. And if you feel you want to give some more concrete encouragement, he’s got a page on Justgiving.com to raise money for the Brain and Spine Foundation.

More background here, donation website here.

Makes my efforts look a little puny, really.