A KEEN runner from Barnard Castle is to undertake his greatest endurance test yet when he starts running four miles every four hours for seven days.
Kevin Maughan will be battling sleep exhaustion and aching muscles as he starts his extraordinary challenge at 5pm on Saturday, June 19, in aid of the Maia Mouse Foundation.
The event marks the anniversary of completing his first marathon, which raised more than £2,000 for the charity. The foundation was started by a Barnard Castle family in memory of 11-month-old Maia Olivia Baum who died in 2016 after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Mr Maughan said: “I know the people who started the charity and what they do for children who have life-limiting conditions.
“Having young children, I can imagine what families go through. I have done charity stuff before but it is not as personal as this is.”
His latest trial will see him complete the equivalent to six-and-a-half marathons.
Of his first marathon, the father-of-two said: “The first 20 miles I felt great but then I hit a wall and the last six miles felt like they went on forever.”
His new feat came about when he saw online that people had completed four mile runs every four hours over a 48-hour period and decided to take it a step further.
He added: “I don’t really know how to prepare for it. I have been out two or three times a day and I am trying to work out a routine. It will be 168 miles in total – the most I’ve done in a week previously is 40. And the most I have done in a month is 150.”
He is now hoping friends and neighbours will join in on some of the runs as they did during his marathon last year, and a friend has already agreed to support him during some of the 1am runs around the town.
Mr Maughan thanked his employer William Smith, for allowing him to undertake the challenge while still working, as well as Spectrum Prints, which provided T-shirts for the event. People can support the fundraising challenge by visiting justgiving.com/fundraising/kevin-maughan4.
