Martyn Cassidy, a 49-year-old quantity surveyor from Sale, Greater Manchester, has set himself a challenge to run fifty races within a year before his fiftieth birthday.
Martyn, who has been a runner for more than 18 years but only entered occasional events, is now up to 15 races having completed the half marathon at Capesthorne Hall over the weekend. The yearlong plan includes tackling a mixture of road and trail runs covering a range of distances between 5k and Half Marathon, with a total distance of approximately 420km.
In search of an appropriate cause to support, Martyn’s eldest daughter Rebecca, a student at Ashton on Mersey High School, informed him of a talk by staff from Francis House Children’s Hospice and their work supporting the families of children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
Martyn began his quest the day after his 49th birthday (June 29) with a 5km run around Media City UK and has since gone on to set two new personal bests. His race itinerary also includes travelling to Wales, Birmingham and even Alton Towers. Wife Sara has joined him on a number of runs along with other family members and friends.
Thanks to generous donations from his family, friends and colleagues, Martyn has already smashed his target of £500 with more than £900 in donations.
Julie Williams, fundraising officer of Francis House, commented: “It’s thanks to people like Martyn that we can continue to give families a break from their role as carers, and the children and young people some independence and fun experiences – whether it’s in their own home or at the hospice. We wish him luck with the challenge and future races.”
Martyn Cassidy, from Sale in Greater Manchester, is approaching his fiftieth birthday with a challenge to push his own fitness and support a worthy cause. As a runner for more than 18 years, the quantity surveyor has set himself the goal of running fifty races in a single year before his fiftieth birthday.
Having already completed 15 races and set two personal bests, Martyn’s race itinerary includes a mixture of road and trail runs covering a range of distances between 5k and Half Marathon, with a total distance of approximately 420km.
Upon searching for a cause to support, Martyn’s eldest daughter Rebecca, a student at Ashton on Mersey High School, informed him of a talk by staff from Francis House Children’s Hospice. As the charity relies heavily on charitable donations, Martyn decided it was the perfect fit.
Thanks to generous donations from his family, friends and colleagues, Martyn has already exceeded his target of £500 with more than £900 in donations.
Julie Williams, fundraising officer of Francis House, said: “It’s thanks to people like Martyn that we can continue to give families a break from their role as carers, and the children and young people some independence and fun experiences – whether it’s in their own home or at the hospice. We wish him luck with the challenge and future races.”
Martyn Cassidy, a 49-year-old quantity surveyor from Sale, Greater Manchester, is tackling a challenge to push his own fitness and support a worthy cause. With the aim of running fifty races in a single year before his fiftieth birthday, Martyn has set himself the goal of completing a mixture of road and trail runs covering a range of distances between 5k and Half Marathon, with a total distance of approximately 420km.
Having already completed 15 races and set two personal bests, Martyn has chosen events that are local to the northwest and also includes travelling to Wales, Birmingham and even Alton Towers. Wife Sara has joined him on a number of runs along with other family members and friends.
When searching for a cause to support, Martyn’s eldest daughter Rebecca, a student at Ashton on Mersey High School, informed him of a talk by staff from Francis House Children’s Hospice. With the charity relying heavily on charitable donations, Martyn decided it was the perfect fit.
Thanks to generous donations from his family, friends and colleagues, Martyn has already exceeded his target of £500 with more than £900 in donations. Julie Williams, fundraising officer of Francis House, said: “It’s thanks to people like Martyn that we can continue to give families a break from their role as carers, and the children and young people some independence and fun experiences – whether it’s in their own home or at the hospice. We wish him luck with the challenge and future races.”
Martyn Cassidy, from Sale in Greater Manchester, is approaching his fiftieth birthday with a challenge to improve his fitness
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.