Background.

After yet another diagnosis of a rugby player, the magnificent Lewis Moody, this challenge is to raise vital funds and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Although I personally have never met Lewis, I feel with the same “Maddog” nickname (his for on field heroics, yet mine for sadly off field antics) we are somewhat of a kindred spirit. The news of his diagnosis hit the worldwide rugby community hard, but it was through a great mutual friend of ours, and hearing the impact on a small Bath community, where it felt far more personal to me. The charity needs no introduction, and it’s testament to Lewis himself that he has insisted that any fundraising from this challenge goes to the wider MND cause through the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

The Challenge.

The challenge is simple in concept, but powerful in execution: Taking place in Bath, it starts mid-day on the 5th June, we are to embark on running 7 kilometres (Lewis's shirt number) every hour, on the hour, for 24 hours. This shall then culminate in time for the Bath Rugby vs Leicester Tigers Premiership fixture — the two clubs Lewis proudly represented during his career.

As much as I have the mind of a young spritely athlete and think I could do this solo, the reality is I have a body like a melted wheelie bin, and thus shall be competing in a team of 3, along with Big Red Henry Head and Henry Taylor for those that know them (an impressive combined weight of 330kg’s). So all in all - 8 x 7km, a hefty 56km each under our feet.

Can't thank you enough for having a read x