A Salford personal trainer has taken on the 4x4x48 challenge in the hope of raising £3000 to help fund a new women’s home run by the Project67 charity.

Jason Gilding, 33, is aiming to run four miles every four hours over 48 hours starting next Saturday, March 6 at 4am GMT.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 517FIT (@jason517fit)

The international event was introduced by former US Navy SEAL, David Goggins, last year and has been brought back for 2021.

Gilding, and 4 others from Salford, are participating to raise funds in aid of Project67’s hopes of establishing a women’s home in Manchester.

Project67 are a Salford-based charity and aim to provide a safe and supportive service to those in need.

The women’s home would provide a safe place for women battling addiction and abuse – an issue that has been heightened since the first lockdown last year.

With International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8 this year, Gilding felt that this was the perfect opportunity to raise awareness and support.

Gilding said: “There’s quite a few reasons why I think this is important and why I chose it.

“The need was highlighted during the first lockdown – addiction, domestic violence, they’re not new things but there was a rise, and it was highlighted.

“My mum actually worked in domestic violence for years, so I remember as a kid, she would never bring that kind of work home with her, but you would see the weight of responsibility on her.

“She was looking out for and caring for women that could potentially lose their life.

“I’ve also seen a complete restoration in a lot of women coming through Project67, so it is quite close to home.

“With all the causes that you can support, I think this is very real, it’s very immediate, it’s not going away, and I think it’s more common than people would probably think – it’s a real need.

“Four miles for me isn’t a long distance on its own, but doing it again, and again, and again, and again, I think it’s more a mental challenge.

“I’ve done challenges before – I’ve pushed my limits, tested where I’m at – and I always come out the other side changed – transformed a little bit.

“I know what’s on the other side of these things, I know it can get difficult.

“I think there’s always those feelings – all of them little ‘what ifs’ can creep into your mind, I think that’s a normal human thing.

“We’ve got a physical challenge, we’ve got a mental challenge, we’ve got an immediate need, and we’ve also got International Women’s Day right on the end of that, so everything was lined up to just go for it.

“There wasn’t really much thought I had to make about doing it.”

Project67 are based in Salford and are a self-supporting charity. If you would like to donate, please visit: https://www.project67.org.uk/donate/

Alternatively, if you would like to participate in the 4x4x48 challenge to help raise funds for Project67, please contact Jason via Instagram: @jason517fit.

Any victims of domestic abuse can find help through the National Domestic Abuse Helpline or by calling 0808 2000 247.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *