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A charity trustee is going the extra mile for UK children’s charity Action Medical Research as he prepares to tackle the last of 12 half marathons in 12 months.
Having undertaken 11 races in cities across the country, Nick Peters, 49, from Chalfont St Giles, is getting ready for his final challenge: the Great North Run in Newcastle upon Tyne on Sunday, 11 September.
“When I hit my 49th birthday last September I wanted to do something before my next birthday that I would struggle then to repeat physically, combined with visiting some UK cities that I've not been to before. Twelve city half marathons in 12 months seemed an ideal way to combine the two ideas,” says Nick, who’s no stranger to fitness challenges, having completed marathons and triathlons in the past.
Over the past year he has raised more than £1,000 by taking part in 13.1-mile races in Belfast, Oxford, the Gower peninsula, Milton Keynes, Dover, Coventry, Hastings, Sheffield, Leeds, Edinburgh and the Isle of Wight.
“Each half marathon run has had its own story: visiting Belfast for the first time; the loudest and best support was in Sheffield; the quickest run was in Coventry at 1:31; and the toughest was around the Gower coastline in South Wales. It was accurately sold as an endurance run and took around two hours, 19 minutes as it was cold and raining very hard indeed,” adds Nick, who was also eyeing half marathons in Liverpool and Manchester but couldn’t fit them into his schedule – so watch this space!
He first became involved with Action Medical Research after taking part in the charity’s Race the Sun challenge in the Lake District several years ago, an endurance event which sees teams of four cycle 50 miles, climb 950m-high Helvellyn and canoe Lake Thirlmere, starting at sunrise and finishing by sunset.
“I'm continually amazed at how many people from different backgrounds are willing to donate their time and money to such a worthy cause,” he adds.
For more than 60 years Action Medical Research has helped pioneer treatments and ways to prevent disease that have benefited millions of people in the UK and across the world. Research they’ve funded has helped to beat polio in the UK, develop ultrasound in pregnancy, fight meningitis and prevent stillbirths.
Action Medical Research is currently funding research into meningitis, Down syndrome, epilepsy and premature birth, as well as some rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children.
The Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon with more than 57,000 runners expected to take part next month.
To support Nick’s fundraising, please visit action.org.uk/sponsor/NickPeters1966
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To download a high-res image of Nick Peters at the end of the gruelling Gower half marathon, please click on the link below:
https://www.action.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/press/nick_peters_gower.jpg
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For more information on Action Medical Research, please contact Ellie Evans, Fundraising Communications Officer, on:
T 01403 327480
Follow us on Twitter at @actionmedres and @amr_events
Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/actionmedres
Follow us at pinterest/actionmedres
Action Medical Research is a leading UK-wide charity saving and changing children’s lives through medical research. For more than 60 years we’ve helped pioneer ways to prevent disease and develop treatments benefiting millions of people. Our research has helped to beat polio in the UK, develop ultrasound, fight meningitis and prevent stillbirths. But we urgently need to develop more new treatments and cures for sick babies and children and we can’t do it without you.
Join our fight for little lives today.
Charity reg. nos 208701 and SC039284.