A West Bridgford man has broken the world record for the fastest completion time when running from John O’Groats to Land’s End via the Three Peaks to raise money for two charities.
Michael Ford ran 998 miles back in May to show his support for the mental health charity The Hike with Mike Foundation, and Lymphoma Action, the only charity in the UK dedicated to lymphoma. He completed the challenge in 19 days, 2 hours and 26 minutes, and has now received confirmation that he is the new world record holder. Michael has raised over £10,000 for both causes close to his heart, with Michael’s friend setting up The Hike with Mike Foundation after losing two close friends to suicide during the COVID-19 lockdown, and Michael’s mum receiving support from Lymphoma Action following her diagnosis of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in 2020.
“My mum was actually diagnosed with two types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma” says Michael, 25. “Thankfully, she is now in remission from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but she is currently on active monitoring for follicular lymphoma. Lymphoma Action really helped my mum get through her chemotherapy and radiotherapy so I wanted to give back as much as I can.”
“Many people start fundraising or doing crazy challenges in memory of a loved one, or even if they themselves are faced with a terminal diagnosis, but I wanted to complete this extremely difficult challenge while my loved ones are still here, to celebrate the achievement with them” he continues. “Just planning the route and thinking about how I would feel coming into Land’s End made me emotional. Discovering parts of the country I haven’t been to, the summit of each peak and family and friends joining me on certain days – it was a very emotional journey.”
“On behalf of everyone at Lymphoma Action, we want to say huge congratulations to Michael for completing his epic challenge” said Laura Thompson-Watts, Challenge Events Fundraiser at Lymphoma Action. “We are so excited to hear that he is now the world record holder, and are truly grateful for everything he has done to support us.”
She added: “Every 26 minutes one of us is diagnosed with lymphoma. Thanks to amazing people like Michael, we can continue to provide vital information and support to make sure no one has to face lymphoma alone.”