Sports lecturer to run 30 marathons in 35 days (From Croydon Guardian)

Richmond College sports lecturer to run 30 marathons in 35 days

6:50am Wednesday 16th June 2010 in News By Joanna Kilvington

An energetic lecturer is to follow in the footsteps of comedian Eddie Izzard by completing 30 marathons in 35 days to raise money for charity.

Jason Arday, a sports lecturer at Richmond College, will be pounding the streets of London for Shelter, the housing and homeless charity, and the Shooting Star children’s hospice, based in Hampton.

The 24-year-old will push his body to the limit by running the London Marathon route every day for 15 days followed by a run from Piccadilly to Teddington and back again for the second part of the challenge.

He said: “I’ve been training for a few months now and I feel confident that I will complete all the marathons within reasonable times, but I’m under no illusion, it’s going to be tough.

“My aim is to raise £5,000 but I hope that people will also show their support by joining me for a mile or just waving when I pass.

“Running the same route over and over will be mentally challenging, so all support and encouragement will help.”

If Mr Arday, of Clapham, reaches his target he will have raised £100,000 for various charities since he started fundraising at 17.

He was inspired to support Shelter as a teenager.

He said: “My mum took me to a homeless shelter when I was 17 and I was surprised to see people my age struggling for something as fundamental as a roof over their head, something I took for granted.

“I felt I needed to do something to help people in this situation by supporting Shelter’s work with homeless and badly housed families.”

To prepare for the race Mr Arday, who is also studying for a master’s degree in physical education, has been training hard for five months, running 12 miles a day from 4am to 6am and 10pm until midnight, fitting in a strict routine around his teaching and studying.

He will be setting off on Monday, July 19, and is aiming to complete each marathon in less than six hours.

To make a donation visit justgiving.com/jasonjogs30in35.