Carlisle’s Man v Fat club has been given a prestigious award for its support of one of its members.
It was named Community Club of the Year at the Man v Fat Awards, hosted by World Cup legend Geoff Hurst.
Members embarked on a 48-mile walking challenge through harsh winter conditions, raising almost £16,000 for Sarcoma UK and a city family.
The challenge, 48 for 48, began at 1pm on Saturday, January 10 and finished at 5.11pm on Sunday, January 11, with the team walking continuously for 28 hours with no sleep.
Starting in the Lake District and finishing in Carlisle, the route covered over 10,000ft of elevation and took the men through freezing temperatures, ice, snow, heavy rain and gale-force winds.
Despite the conditions, 13 men set off at the start line, collectively clocking over a million steps on reaching the finish line.
Participants dealt with serious physical challenges along the way including a fractured ankle, torn hamstring, several severe blisters. One of them contracted trench foot and still managed to finish.
The challenge was organised in support of Laura Wiedman, the wife of Man v Fat Carlisle player Glen, who was undergoing intensive chemotherapy for a rare form of sarcoma.
Only around 48 people a year are diagnosed with this type of cancer, which inspired the challenge name, one mile for every case.
The full 48-mile finishers were Glen, Ben Snell, Dylan Smith, Phil Howe, Mike Schofield, Barry Cannon, Mike Vevers and Scott Whitehead.
The challenge was announced on December 17, giving the team just four weeks to plan, prepare and train, while also raising a significant sum in a short space of time.
Richard Crick, head of Man v Fat, said the challenge was a sign of the community spirit and support that is held within Man v Fat Carlisle.
He said: “The task took hours and hours of their personal time, from finding a route that was 48 miles long with stages along the way so people could join at different points, to advising people on nutrition, securing the equipment required to do the challenge, to getting people involved with the fundraising.”
Glen, he adds, demonstrated courage, vulnerability and emotional leadership throughout.
Richard added: “Despite supporting his wife through cancer treatment, spending time in hospital, and caring for his children, Glen showed extraordinary courage and generosity.
“He allowed himself to be vulnerable in public, helping others understand the real reason for the walk; spoke openly from the values of Man v Fat and continued to support the group emotionally, even while dealing with immense personal stress.”
Club member Baz Cannon said: “We chose to do a 48 mile walk because the rare cancer that Laura has, there are 48 cases a year diagnosed.
“As you can imagine the club is not full of mountaineers, but we managed to split it up into stages so that the less mobile guys could do a smaller chunk, but everybody could still be involved. Laura is recovering well.”
