Marathon man Gary McKee has bee named as vice president of Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
Gary, 53, of Cleator Moor, has taken on the voluntary position, which focuses on ambassadorship and advocacy. He will represent the charity in the community.
Gary recently completed a year long fundraising challenge, running 365 consecutive marathons throughout 2022. He raised £1.2million, splitting the total between Hospice at Home West Cumbria and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Gary said: “It is a huge honour to be considered, never mind being given the title of vice president of a charity that in West Cumbria, is massive to everybody.
“I have won lots of awards in the past and I don’t do what I do to gain awards, but it is probably one of the most prestigious things I have been offered. It really means something to you when people come up and say ‘Well done, the charity really helped my husband/wife/child/whatever it might be.
“That’s what it means to them so the association with Hospice at Home West Cumbria is something that will live with me forever. I hope that I can continue to do the things that I do and signpost to the charity for many years to come.”
Dr Brian Herd, president of Hospice at Home West Cumbria, said: “We are immensely grateful to Gary for his super-human effort on our behalf. When I heard he intended to run a marathon every day throughout the whole of 2022, I was incredulous.
“I know from personal experience how much effort it takes to complete a single marathon. To repeat this daily for a whole year seemed unbelievable.”
In the course of the year Gary ran almost 9,600 miles and another 1,400 miles running on his treadmill in warm-ups and run-downs.
Dr Herd added: “To complete this unique challenge demanded total commitment. It cut across the rest of his life drastically, especially family life. We are deeply indebted to Gary’s wife Susan and to their family Alfie, Beau and Minnie who provided essential support.”
Gary was one of four people in Cumbria to be named Coronation Champions to mark the coronation of King Charles III. Across the country, 500 people were chosen for the honour to celebrate their extraordinary efforts.
Gary was presented with his certificate at a ceremony held at Cleator Moor Civic Hall.
