13 half–marathons in 13 days! Why am I doing this?
The event:
Around the geographical coverage of Sunderland Enterprise Park Management Company areas.
Starts on Sunday the 8th of May when we will be taking part in the Official Sunderland half-marathon.
From Monday the 9th the course, which includes the Roker and Seaburn promenades as well as the historic village of Cleadon, will start and finish at the Chester’s Pub on Chester Road, Sunderland. A different course will be run on Saturday the 14th as we will be including the Silksworth Parkrun.
Why this is being done:
Both Rico and I started running solely to improve our own mental well-being, to get out into the fresh air during a period when it was difficult to do so, and build up our own physical fitness. Eventually, over one or two (maybe three) pints, the idea of running thirteen half-marathons for charity was formed. Rico is very driven when it comes to the welfare of children and the poverty in which a number of them live, whereas my passion was targeted more at the issues involving mental health, both issues made even worse by the pandemic.
The charity:
Children North East was the perfect fit for what both Rico and I wanted to achieve, information received from then includes;
There are over 5,000,000 children living in poverty within the UK, with the North East moving to the second-highest of any region, after London. In some cases, the only meal a child gets is the one provided by their school. Hand in hand with that are the 2,500 children, some as young as 10 that were admitted to hospital due to depression and self-harm, with almost 300 under 19-year-olds admitting to having eating disorders.
What the Charity does;
Not only does Children North East provide support for families and children who are suffering from the current ever-growing poverty situation, which was at an all-time high even before the pandemic, but it also provides numerous programs which help children cope with everyday difficulties, help them identify and talk about their feelings, and aids them in building resilience and coping with emotional challenges like confidence and low self-esteem.
The Charity and us;
Children North East share our passion for the welfare of children-both their physical and mental well-being and both Rico and I are delighted we can utilise our passion for running to support Children North East
The Challenge:
The 13 x 13 challenge comprises thirteen grueling half-marathons run on thirteen days consecutively. That’s over one hundred and seventy miles covered in under two weeks, all in the hope of raising funds and awareness for Children North East.
Useful links:
justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-and-Rico-13×13-challenge
https://children-ne.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/andy_rico13x13/
Andy + Ricos 13×13 Challenge page