When it comes to raising money for the hospice, our supporters are always coming up with unusual and inspiring ideas. For instance, 41 year old Stuart McKenzie from Eastbourne ran 12 half marathons for us last year, raising an incredible £2,000. We sat down with him to find out more.

“I’ve known about St Wilfrid’s for a long time. My nan died there around 10 years ago, then a few years later my partner Julia’s dad was cared for there in his final days. I’d always thought about doing a big challenge for St Wilfrid’s to say thank you, but didn’t know what.

I’m a football referee and took up running to improve my fitness. As I got better and could run further, I came up with the idea of running 12 half marathons in 12 months for the hospice.

I decided to try a low key half marathon first, so ran from Lewes Station to Eastbourne with a couple of friends, just to see how I’d get on. It went well and during the following months I completed Headcorn Half, Eastbourne Half, Hastings Half, London Landmarks, Birmingham Half, Sussex Weald Challenge Half, UK Ultra Half, Rathfinny Half, a half made up of running parkrun straight into the Children with Cancer Fund 10k plus a bit extra, The Great North Run, Bates Green Gallop and Beachy Head Marathon.

I also ran the Bewl 15 Mile race with my sister. She’s been running all her life, so it was really nice to do that together and have our mum and stepdad waiting at the finish.

Each half marathon felt hard, but I remained consistent in the middle of the pack. Unfortunately, I fell and collapsed 200 metres from the end of the Eastbourne Half, but a couple of chaps scooped me up and there’s a picture of them helping me over the finish line. That’s what running’s all about, helping each other.

The challenge kept me focused on my running and luckily, I didn’t have any injuries all year. It could be tricky fitting training around my job helping homeless people get back on track, but equally, on the more intense days, running helps me cope.

All that training has helped get my fitness up to a level that I can now run a full marathon – something I never thought I’d be able to do. I remember watching Beachy Head Marathon a few years ago and thinking to myself that I would always be watching it. And now look at me!

When I completed my 12 month challenge, I was delighted to have reached my fundraising target of £1,000. Then an anonymous donor matched that, so I ended up donating £2,000. I’m so grateful to everyone who sponsored me.

I’ve seen for myself that St Wilfrid’s offers the best end of life care. I’ve heard a lot in the news lately about hospices not getting the funding they need, so any money we raise could mean the difference between them continuing to operate and not.”

Pictured: Stuart during and after some of his races

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