A paramedic and two doctors from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) are completing a 70-mile ultramarathon in the hopes of raising vital funds for the charity they work for.
On Friday (19 July) Paramedic Jamie Walsh and Doctors Lyle Moncur and Antonia Hazlerigg are planning on running between the charity’s bases in Langwathby, Penrith and Eaglescliffe, Teesside, over a 24-hour period.
Dr Hazlerigg has previous ultramarathon experience and has run similar long distances before, but this is the first time Dr Moncur and Mr Walsh will be attempting to cover 70 miles in one go.
Mr Walsh said: “We will start at Langwathby and take in some big hills following the Pennine Way to Barnard Castle where we will jump onto the Teesdale way and continue to head to the airbase at Progress House in Stockton.
“This challenge will likely take 20 to 24 hours non-stop, we are hoping to raise a significant amount of money for the air ambulance that covers our region, and any help is greatly appreciated.”
The trio are starting their ultramarathon at 9pm on Friday and hope to finish at the charity’s headquarters on Saturday afternoon.
GNAAS doctor Kate Allen will be supporting her colleagues by providing feed stations throughout the route, and she will be joined by Dr Hazlerigg’s sister, Jamie’s friend Amanda, paramedic Tim West, and a couple of others along the way.
The runners have set themselves a fundraising target of £5,000 and have already raised more than £3,300 before the challenge has begun.
Mr Walsh said: “It costs a significant amount of money to ensure we keep the aircraft flying. We cover one of the largest and most remote areas of the UK and without the air ambulance the people of the North East, Cumbria and Isle of Man would not have immediate access to life-saving critical care and the means to transport them quickly to the specialty hospitals they may need.
“Every penny donated to this challenge goes to the charity to keep our team flying and available to anyone who may need it. Thank you for the donations so far, we have still got some way to go to get to our target but every bit helps.”
To sponsor the runners visit their JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gnaasultra
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