Hi, I'm Paul (The Geordie Challenger),

I’m taking on a brutal 24-hour ultramarathon challenge to raise money for Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics).

This is personal.

When I was growing up, my mum was an alcoholic.

For a long time, I told nobody. I kept her secrets. I pretended everything was fine. But behind closed doors, life was incredibly hard—for me, and for my younger siblings.

We grew up with shame. With confusion. With no one to talk to. And even now, at the age of 35, the emotional scars haven’t gone away. I still live with social and psychological issues—and I probably always will.

Back then, if I felt like I could talk to somebody, something might have changed. If I’d known it was okay to open up, I truly believe things could have been different.

Because, no matter how hard things are, there is always hope.

Why Nacoa?

Nacoa is a UK charity that offers support, advice, and a free helpline for children affected by their parent’s drinking.

1 in 5 children in the UK are in this position. Most of them stay silent—just like I did.

But with Nacoa, more kids can access the comfort, guidance, and connection that might change their lives forever.

The challenge: RunTheMetro

To support Nacoa’s work, I’m taking on a self-supported ultramarathon.

During this challenge (which is completely self-planned and self-organised), I'll attempt to run the entire length of the Tyne & Wear Metro network, in northern England.

According to my (admittedly very rudimentary) calculations, I think it’s a total distance of 73.5 miles (118km). I’m hoping to do it within 24 hours.

This will be long, painful, and probably ridiculous.

I’m doing it partly because I love physical challenges—but mainly, I’m doing it for kids like me and my siblings who never got the help they needed.

The whole time, I'll be wearing my Newcastle United football shirt—like I did last year, when me and my dad cycled from Newcastle to Istanbul to raise money for Movember.

How you can help

Donations are open now... and will stay open until I complete the run (which will be sometime in February 2026 or March 2026).

If you’ve read this far:

Please consider donating what you can.

And if you can’t donate, please instead do two things (both of which will help spread the word and raise more money, at ZERO cost to you):

1. Share this page with someone who might be interested

2. Follow me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/the_geordie_challenger/

Even one conversation can change a child’s life. Together, we can help Nacoa reach more children who need to know they’re not alone.

Because no matter how tough life gets, there's always a way out.

You might have an alcoholic parent. You might have psychological and emotional scars. You might be attempting to run almost three marathons in less than one day. No matter how hard things look, you can always get through it.

Cheers for your help,

Paul (The Geordie Challenger)

P.S., a quick disclaimer: I’m very aware this challenge might break me. The training might break me before I even get started. So, when you donate, please know that I’m not even sure if I can finish this ridiculous challenge. But every penny you donate will spur me on just that tiny bit more. Cheers!