30 Marathons in 30 Countries in 30 Days for MND

Mike vows ‘I’ll be back’ after completing superhuman challenge to support friend living with MND

PERSONAL trainer Mike Humphreys has vowed to ‘carry on fighting’ for his friend who is living with motor neurone disease just days after completing 30 marathons in 30 countries in 30 days.

Mike, from Hedon, near Hull, is already planning more fundraising events after raising more than £24,500 from the superhuman challenge which saw him run 30 marathons in 30 cities across Europe. All the money raised from the challenge be split between a fund set-up for Craig and his family and the MND Association.

Despite having to overcome serious mental and physical challenges, as well as plenty of bureaucracy and red tape, Mike said he was ‘absolutely determined’ to complete the challenge in memory of his friend Carl Giblin who died from motor neurone disease in 2017 and Craig Eskrett, who was diagnosed with MND aged just 36.

He said: “I was determined to overcome every obstacle which was thrown at me – and there were a lot!

“I set off not knowing whether I could complete it. I’m in good shape, but I hadn’t trained and I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to do it. But I had to do something different, something which really stood out and captured people’s imaginations because I wanted to raise as much awareness as possible and draw attention to this terrible disease.

“By the time we reached San Marino on Day 5 or 6 I began to doubt myself. I was running a marathon in hills and my legs were broken, I was extremely tired and was running at night. At the end of that particular run, someone stopped me to make sure I was OK as they thought I had been attacked or was injured!”

The lack of a support crew also meant that Mike was facing long drives of up to six hours to reach the next destination on top of running a marathon distance each day.

He said: “I did start the journey with a driver but they dropped out and another couldn’t get the right insurance, so it meant I was doing a lot of the driving on my own. My family were really worried about me and my Mum and Dad even told me to cancel the whole challenge at one point.

“In the end, my brother Gareth, helped me to change the route so the distances in between each location were shorter but the lack of sleep was extremely difficult.”

Mike also encountered difficulties at the borders of some countries, with Montenegro and Albania initially refusing him entry.

He said: “There were issues over documents at the borders which caused us real problems as the delays meant I was hours behind in completing the marathon. Few of them spoke English so it was a huge relief when they finally let us through and we were able to continue on our way.

“At the darkest times I knew Carl was looking down on me and urging me to carry on and that gave me the strength I needed to push through.”

Mike finally arrived home in Hull on November 2 for his final marathon, which saw him receive a hero’s welcome at the city’s MKM Stadium.

He said: “It was overwhelming to be honest. I’d only had three hours sleep the night before and to see so many people come out to run with me was just incredible, I can hardly put it into words.

“The effect on my body has been immense. I think I’ve lost about 5kg of muscle mass – I’m a weightlifter and that amount of muscle can take years to build back up.

“For the time being at least, I’m taking it easy and resting as much as possible, although I do need to start running again soon to help my recovery. It’s been great being back home and enjoying some proper food!

“My brother has joked that he’s taking away the keys to my van to stop me doing anything else, but I’ll definitely be back.

“As long as Craig is fighting MND, I’ll be fighting right there with him.”

To donate to Mike’s appeal visit www.gofundme.com/f/raising-money-for-mnd-and-craig-eskrett?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer For more information about MND and the work of the MND Association please visit www.mndassociation.org

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Mike Humphreys who has completed 30 marathons in 30 countries in 30 days to raise money for the MND Association and to support his friend who is living with MND.

The MND Association focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Website: www.mndassociation.org

About motor neurone disease (MND):

• MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
• It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. MND does not usually affect the senses such as sight, sound, feeling etc.
• It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.
• Over 80% of people with MND experience changes to their speech, which may become slurred or quieter. Some people lose their ability to speak entirely.
• It affects people from all communities.
• Around 50% of people with MND experience some form of cognitive change while living with the disease. This can affect their thinking or behaviour. This percentage rises to around 80% for people who are in the advanced stages of the disease.
• It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.
• A person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is around 1 in 300.
• Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK.
• It affects more than 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.
• It kills six people per day in the UK, this is just under 2,200 per year.
• It has no cure.

The MND Association has made five ambitious Promises:

We won’t rest until:

MND is treatable and ultimately curable

Everyone gets the care they need when they need it

Every day with MND counts

You are heard

No one faces MND alone

Registered Charity No 294354