One Year On: The Pontefract runner raising funds for local causes

Simon raised £3,200 for the Prince Of Wales Hospice by October 2022, but had wanted to keep going and raise even more.

"I went on to run my first marathon on Remembrance Day last year in Durham, which took me five-and-a-half hours and raised a further £600 – but it nearly broke me and I was going to quit chasing challenges and be happy with the £3,800 raised so far,” He said.

“After recovering from that, I realised I was one of the lucky ones who survived a critical illness and I was getting so much support and interest in my efforts.

"This was about my sister Anita and the love and care provided by the amazing people at the Prince of Wales Hospice.”

So how do you top a marathon? Simon had an idea in mind.

“I was relatively new to running and although I’d heard of an ultra marathon I had visions of them being 50 or 100 miles and no way could I do that! Certainly not for a long time.

“I started looking into ultra marathons, and I found a 5km loop type race in Manchester Heaton Park, which had a set cut off time so people can decide how far they want to run.

“My wife, Rachael, was still nervous about me venturing off doing long runs on my own. I rely on enzyme tablets when eating, I’m type 3c diabetic – a very rare diagnoses which there is little knowledge of.

" I had platinum coil injected into a major artery in my abdomen to prevent it from rupturing after being weakened by my own enzymes whilst suffering Pancreatitis, so I had to appreciate Rachael’s nervousness and ensure it was a joint decision

“Thankfully, a loop race meant I was close by and would pass Rachael every 30-40 minutes! The next concern was the date.

The race was in March. My target was to run 50km – which worked out as 10 loops of 5km”

With the event set and the target in mind, Simon got started on a plan.

“I had 12 weeks to get ready with Christmas and New Year in the middle. I worked out a day by day training plan. I discussed it with my consultant who reassured us there would be no impact on the platinum coiling or the damaged artery.

“We decided to go for it. So I trained hard, kept close to my plan as possible, backed up with a sensible diet plan to keep my blood sugars under control. During the long training runs I experimented with different fuels to find the optimum combination so there would be surprises on the day”.

And then, it was time for the run. On March 25, Simon completed his first ultra marathon, covering 50km in seven hours, raising a further £1,500 for the hospice.

But that still wasn’t to be the end.

"Even though I was ready to quit again I then started to believe I could go further and longer. After a lot of soul searching I eventually decided that I wanted to carry on.

“The people who organised the ultra loop had arranged a 12 hour endurance race at Trafford Park race track for August. I thought that would be a massive step up and could generate a lot of support but fuelling my body for that length of time would be a massive challenge for me

“I wake up every day saying ‘smile you’re alive’. So after sleeping on it, I thought in for a penny, in for a pound!”

With 12 weeks to prepare for the race, Simon got going. But following some health setbacks, and with the race getting closer and closer there was a worry he wouldn’t be able to do it;

“I did my research, got lots of advice and worked up a training plan - I had to rack up just shy of 400 miles and within the plan there were two marathons”.

"Unfortunately, this didn’t go as planned. I got sick and missed the second week of my training. This demotivated me massively and I lost my running mojo. In the third week I had only run a total of two miles – I was so far behind my plan

“I somehow dug deep, reminded myself that I ‘get’ to do this stuff and got back on it and ramped up my training. I managed to get about 340 miles under my belt”.

And then, it was time for the big race.

"Out of the 12 hours it rained for nine. Very uncomfortable but much cooler temperature and no baking hot sun to contend with! I went on to run 78.4 kilometres covering 187 laps, and even managed a sprint finish in the last lap!

“I raised a further £800, bringing my total to date £5,851, with my target at £6,000 – I’m getting closer.”

So, what’s next for Simon?

“I’ve decided to take a break from fundraising but I’m upping my training for something bigger next year,” he said.

“In addition to all of my running, the Prince of Wales Hospice have asked me to give a talk at their annual Light up a Life event. I didn’t hesitate to say yes – anything I can do to help encourage others to take time out to make a difference to someone else’s life.

"I’d like to express my thanks to everyone who has donated and special thanks to my wife Rachael, and kids Megan and Kieran for all their support.

To donate to Simons fundraising, info can be found here: Simon Speight is fundraising for The Prince of Wales Hospice, Pontefract (justgiving.com)