A local man is to run a whopping 12 marathons in just 12 months to raise money for the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB).
Nick Ahmed, who grew up in Burton Joyce and now lives there with his family, is an avid runner covering many miles, especially since lockdown first began.
During lockdown in 2020, especially with gyms and sports centres closed, his road running went to the next level – Nick and his wife Natalie worked out that he had run the equivalent of 66 marathons spread out over the year!
In 2021, he wanted the miles to mean something. Initially, he wanted to volunteer as a running guide for blind or partially sighted people. Unfortunately, due to social distancing and his work schedule, this wasn’t possible, so instead he decided to raise money for the charity.
Nick’s aim was to raise £1,000 for the charity which is has surpassed! He now hopes to raise as much money as possible for the cause.
Nick said, “I love running, which is why in 2021 I’m undertaking the challenge of running 12 marathons in 12 months. I want my miles to make a difference. I’ve chosen the RNIB because I’ve always greatly admired people who are blind or partially sighted, the way they navigate their daily lives so successfully astounds me. COVID-19 and lockdown has further exacerbated the difficulties they face doing normal day to day activities.
“This will be a real challenge for me, as I have no anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my left knee after completely snapping it 13 years ago. Any time I run a distance over 15 miles, my knee gives me a lot of pain, but I’m determined to achieve this goal to help support the great work of the RNIB.”
Natalie, Nick’s wife, said, “What he doesn’t tell people, is that he does these monthly marathons on top of his other runs, which are just ‘for fun’! He’s now over halfway and I’m so proud of him and all the training, commitment and passion it takes to see through something like this – especially when we’ve had snow, storms, torrential rain and heatwaves already this year!”
If you would like to support Nick and his mission to raise money for the RNIB charity, please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nick-ahmed