A Liverpool Hope University graduate is planning a mammoth 45 mile Manchester-to-Liverpool ultra marathon to help raise money for cancer research.
Tony Preshaw studied Drama & Theatre at the University’s Creative Campus, graduating in 2016.
And having actually only taken up running at the beginning of 2020, he’s now embarking on his longest ever run - which is due to take place on the 26th June.
As well as that gruelling journey, Tony has also been on a mission to run up to 10 miles every single day - averaging close to 50 miles a week - since March 15th, as part of his campaign to fundraise for Cancer Research UK.
Leeds-born Tony, 29, says he was inspired to launch the project having watched a close family member fall ill with stomach cancer.
He explains: “This fundraising drive is for everyone affected by cancer, and for everyone who is currently fighting this horrible disease.
“So far I’ve only missed a couple of days running, mainly due to side effects caused by my Covid-19 vaccination, but I upped the mileage on the other days to try to compensate for those dropped sessions.
“And since March I’ve already run more than 400 miles.”
In the week leading up to the 45 mile ultra marathon on 26th June, Tony says he’s planning to take a week off from training to let his body fully heal and recover.
The route he’ll take from Manchester to Liverpool will see him beginning at the Lowry Theatre in Media City, Salford, before heading out towards Sale on the Bridgewater Canal.
He’ll ultimately join the Transpennine Trail which will take him all the way into Liverpool.
Tony will be joined on the epic by friend Simon McCole and says the route will climax at Liverpool’s Pier Head.
And he’d be delighted if anyone from the Hope family - either students or his old tutors - wishes to come along and cheer him across the finish line, as he aims to get there at around 2pm on the day.
Tony explains “Simon and I are pretty nervous about the run. It’s a huge distance to cover and neither of us has ever done anything like this before.
“But when you’re out there, the adrenaline is going, you know people are tracking you on the GPS app, and you know that you’re doing it for a good cause, I think that’ll be the boost we need to get it done.
“The longest run I’ve done so far is a marathon - 26.2 miles. But I’m hoping to complete a 32 mile run at the end of May as part of our preparations, which gives us around 10 extra miles to find on the day of the big run itself.
“And I’m really looking forward to it. Yes, it’s going to be tough, but it will be a huge achievement if we’re able to finish it.”
Tony hopes to break the run down into chunks of 10 miles, after which he’ll stop briefly and take on enough calories and rehydration to complete the next 10 mile section.
Overall, Tony says the run will take around 8 hours.
So far he and Simon have raised around £700 - but he’s aiming to reach a target of £3,000.
And it’s not the first charity challenge Tony has embarked on.
Last year Tony set himself the goal of running a 10k every day between the 1st and the 25th September 2020 - and rounded it off with a marathon on the 26th September.
That time he pounded the streets to raise money for mental health charity Mind, and having been through his own emotional struggles he’s hoping the mission might convince others to open up, speak out and seek help.
He said at the time: “As well as seeking help, I’ve found that running is also really good for your mental wellbeing.
“You put in your headphones, you’re out in the open air just enjoying the environment. It clears your head, gets rid of the previous day’s worries, and you feel refreshed.
“I’m in a much better mindframe since I started running.
“And I’m enjoying sharing my story and giving other people some hope. I want to tell others that they’re not alone and that they’re not being judged.”
To donate to Tony’s fundraising initiative, head here:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theendisnear