A fitness enthusiast from Epsom is taking on the challenge of a lifetime as he attempts to run from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise funds for Childline.
Jack Lancefield, 24, who works for KPMG in London, was inspired by his company’s charity partnership with the NSPCC which began in 2018. He begins his run on Monday, April 15, in John O’Groats and will travel through Scotland with the grand finale in Land’s End on May 11.
All the money raised during Jack’s epic journey will go to Childline, which is the free and confidential service for children and teenagers in need of help and advice delivered by the NSPCC.
Jack said: “I was fortunate enough to have a good upbringing but when I think of all the young people that the NSPCC support it makes me feel really sad. They’ll constantly be at the back of my mind – every step is for them.”
On how he’s been training both mentally and physically for the challenge Jack said: “I’m running a lot but obviously I don’t want to overdo it either and risk injury. Ideally I would have liked a couple more years of training but my employer’s partnership with the NSPCC is for a limited time so I decided to just go for it.
“I’ve entered a few ultra-marathons to get my mileage up and understand what it feels like to be running for six or seven hours per day.
“I’ve also been running into work, from Epsom to KPMG in Canary Warf, which has helped a lot.
“To mentally prepare, I’ve been reading and listening to pod casts from people who have done some crazy stuff. Someone who had tackled 50 iron man triathlons in 50 states in 50 days used an alter-ego technique. He would wake up and pretend he was someone else that day and that was his way of absorbing all the pain – by pretending to be someone else. I’m toying with this idea.”
When asked what he was looking forward to most about the challenge, Jack said he had never been to Scotland before and was excited about running through the scenic mountain ranges and meeting new people along his way.
Planning the logistics has been quite a task. Jack said: “Both sets of grandparents, my parents and family friends are all helping me throughout and meeting me at certain points. They will be carrying all my food, water, first aid, medical kits and extra supplies of clothing.”
NSPCC Scotland, fundraising manager, Paul Cockram said: “Tackling the entire length of Great Britain is no easy feat and takes a huge amount of preparation and determination to fulfil this challenge. As with all of our supporters, we strongly value Jack’s efforts and achievements in his fundraising and it goes a long way in our fight for every childhood. The calls answered while Jack is running could be life-saving ones.
“We would like to thank Jack and wish him good luck in his challenge. We will be following his progress intently and hope he enjoys the stunning scenery on his first trip to Scotland!”
Childline gives children and young people access to confidential support when they need it and ensures they have someone to turn to when they are in distress or danger. On average a child somewhere in the UK contacts Childline every 25 seconds.
To view Jack’s running route visit here
To support Jack, please visit here
Jack Lancefield