A Cumbrian man is racing from London to Cumbria for charity.
Kai Savage, 21, of Kells, Whitehaven, is running 500km from his university, Imperial College London, back to his home town of Whitehaven over 10 days – all in the name of raising money for Andy’s Man Club and Children With Cancer UK.
His race across England is the equivalent of taking on a whopping 10 ultramarathons back-to-back and Kai is already half way towards his fundraising goal after raising £5,059 so far.
You can still donate to Kai’s challenge and help him hit his fundraising goal here.
The chemistry student is currently on day eight of the gruelling challenge and is today running 51km from Skipton to Kirkby Stephen.
His days start at 10.30am and see him take on a distance that varies between 60km and 45km.
He said: “The morning is the hardest part, but in the evenings you do feel a high knowing you’ve completed the day.
“But we’re doing alright and today will be my last day running by myself, for the final two days I’ll have people with me including my dad and uncle and friends from back home.
“I think my adrenaline was high at the start and I came out a bit too quick and getting to day four was quite tough. But it is just about getting it done, that’s the whole point of the challenge.
“It’s about putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going. But I do think my mindset has shifted now I can see the end of the line.”
Kai said he has so far been blown away by the donations he has received from local people.
He said: “It’s a great feeling because I know how much it will mean to these charities. The target is £10,000 at the moment and if we get anywhere near that I will be absolutely amazed.
“We haven’t had any big sponsorships from companies or anything, it’s all from local people donating, which is amazing.”
Kai added that he has been greatly supported along the route by his mum Kerry, who has been driving the support car and keeping him fully on track with his food, water and recovery.
He said that his girlfriend, family and friends have also been incredibly supportive and some are planning to join him for his final 10k home.
Kai said: “I have never been a marathon or ultramarathon runner, I just wanted to take on a hard physical and mental challenge and push myself.
“I thought it would be a really good opportunity to raise money for charity, so I chose Children With Cancer UK as the first charity, as that is one of the hardest things a family can go through.
“My dad then told me about Andy’s Man Club and how it’s been really hard for a lot of people locally with things like the cost of living and how this charity is helping so many people in our area.”
Kai said while the challenge is tough, he is looking forward to the finish line with hope.
He added: “I am taking each day at a time but I think at the end line, it will all then come into perspective.”
