A Great North Air Ambulance (GNAAS) paramedic is set to complete a once-in-a-lifetime journey as he completes an ultramarathon to raise money for the life-saving charity.
39-year-old Jamie Walsh, a paramedic at GNAAS, will be joined by other members of the critical care team as they plan to run for 80 miles in 24 hours on September 23.
The team will run between GNAA’s bases starting in Langwathby in Penrith and ending at Progress House in Eaglescliffe, Teesside.
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Mr Walsh, from Durham, said: “The charity needs to raise £8 million a year to survive and with a bigger demand for our service than ever, I thought that this was a great way to raise awareness of what we do and why we need the help of the public.
“A couple of years ago, one of the doctors and I decided to raise funds for the charity by cycling base to base so we thought why not do it again this year but run it.”
The planned journey will be no mean feat. The team plans on beginning their ultramarathon at 10am in Langwathby and will run for around 16km.
This is before they start their 2500km climb which, across the route, is equal to the height of two and a half Mount Helvellyns.
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Mr Walsh said: “Training is going well, and I am trying to spend as much time as possible on my legs, so I have been running before shift and doing longer runs on my days off.
“People can show their support by giving us a wave along the route and sharing our pages and fundraising links.”
He added: “We’ve made it to the £2000 target, but I would love to see us hit £8k.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far.”
To donate to the fundraiser, click here.
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