A PE teacher from Bedford is undertaking a marathon fundraising effort today, by running 26.3miles in his garden.
Matthew Phelan teaches at Great Ouse Primary Academy and is taking on the challenge to inspire his students and raise money for the Y Project.
The 28-year-old told the Bedford Independent that he’s undertaken no training and anticipates taking six hours to finish.
“I’ve measured out a 20m distance between two orange cones on my lawn, so I’ll be running 2,110 lengths of my garden to complete the full marathon distance.
“I’m hoping to bring some sunshine to a cloudy time in all our lives. I’m missing the school children dearly and wanted to continue to inspire them to lead a happy and healthy life – and show them that anything is possible.
“It’s been inspiring to see so many fantastic people across the country taking part in fundraising efforts to support one another during these unprecedented times. I was particularly inspired by ex-athlete James Campbell’s garden marathon last week and thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved and do my bit.
“The charity, Room at the Inn, have a huge impact on so many people’s lives all year round but right now they need our support more than ever in their efforts to provide food, shelter and comfort to those that need it most. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and please donate if you are able to.”
You can watch Matt’s progress on his Facebook page all day today.
Chris Payne, Deputy Principal at Great Ouse Academy, said, “What a phenomenal effort from Mr Phelan.
“All the schools across Sharnbrook Academy Federation are working extremely hard to help and support those who are near and dear to us, but also those who are less fortunate and require our support all the more in this difficult time.
“We are extremely proud of Mr Phelan, his fundraising efforts are an inspiration to all of us at Great Ouse and they are a testament to the kind and generous character he is.”
To donate to Matthew’s Garden Marathon here.
