Two Salford-born fitness fanatics are seeking donations to aid in the completion of their 130 mile charity run this Spring.
Salford-born friends Dominic Anthony and Mitchell Berry will embark on an ‘ultra’ marathon on the 2nd April in a bid to raise money for both The Christie Hospital and Mind charities.
The journey will commence at the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club, spanning over 209 km of terrain before concluding in Abersoch, a village on the Southern side of the Llyn Peninsula in Wales.
Both men will run continuously, with no planned breaks in place, and have been actively fundraising for the event via their Just Giving pages.
Dominic, from Worsley, stated that his personal experience with the NHS’ Christie cancer charity was a huge source of motivation behind the run. He said: “I’ve worked as a professional magician and worked on the ward at Christie’s. They are an amazing charity.
“I’m pretty calm about the ultra-marathon. Because you’re training for something that the body isn’t designed to do, because the body’s not really used to it, you end up training and conditioning yourself. It’s like reverse engineering.”
The pair are highly appreciative of the local community, who’ve been rallying behind them during their rigorous training sessions, and are calling for spectators to gather where possible on the day.
Dominic continued: “There’s parts of it that are really lonely, and there’s going to be no one around.
“If we can get people out it will boost our morale and help people be a part of something.”
Mitchell, from Swinton, said about how his own mental health struggles lead to him wanting to complete the challenge for Mind one of the UK’s leading mental health charities.
On the JustGiving page, he said: “Recently I got the courage to seek help about my mental health. Day to day I wake up feeling anxious, overthinking, worrying and it took over my day to day life. I then spoke to a doctor and it has changed my outlook on everything.
“The reason for the challenge is to give back and also to let people know you’re not alone and together we can get through anything!”
He also added how the final stop of the journey bears a special significance for the two, as they both spent many summers in Abersoch as children.
So far, the pair have raised more than £1200 collectively, with the two hoping to gain as much as possible for their chosen charities.
They also have the backing of two sponsors: Focus Activewear and M&A Brown Signs.
The enormity of the challenge is not lost on Dominic, who, prior to training for the event, had little experience with endurance events.
He said: “I’ve never really been a massive runner. I’ve always done running when it comes to fitness training, but only short, intense distances.
“This will be a lot slower intensity, but for a massive amount of time. You can prepare the body as much as you can for that day, but it’ll come down to your head.
“Anything after two marathons, your body starts to shut down because it’s under so much stress, so it’s just the case of making sure on the day that we’ve got no distractions.”
He stressed that both himself and Mitchell’s main aims alongside fundraising are to “create awareness” and make “life changing differences” for both charities, as a way of giving back to those who helped positively impact their lives.
Despite the physical and mental strain that has been inflicted on the pair during training, their goal of raising mass amounts of money for both The Christie and Mind continues to spur them on, and neither one is being deterred from completing the event.
Dominic and Mitchell’s Just Giving pages can be donated to via the both Dominic and Mitchell’s links:
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