AA worker clocks up the miles by running 5k a day for charity

Craig Davidson, 27, came up with the idea of running 5km every day in 2018 to raise money in memory of his partner Beth’s mother Helen Fletcher, who died from ovarian cancer last November.

And as he approaches the end of November, Craig is on course to complete the feat – so far he’s run 1,042 miles, the equivalent of 40 marathons, over more than 140 hours of running.

All money raised will go to the Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge, which cared for Helen in the final few weeks of her life before she died, aged 54.

Craig is bidding to raise £7,671 – the amount it costs to run the hospice for just a single day – with his daily runs and he is 70 per cent of the way there, having collected around £5,500 so far.

He said: “Helen was an amazing lady whose smile would light up a room and she will be very sadly missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know her.

“For the last three weeks of Helen’s life, she was at Mary Stevens Hospice and the care and support she was given was second to none.

“They were amazing to not only Helen but all of her family and friends. Nothing was too much trouble for the nurses.

“How they manage to do that day in, day out with so much sadness going on around them is amazing.”

Keen runner Craig – who has run four of the world’s big six marathons in Tokyo, Berlin, London and Chicago – said he had found the 5k-a-day challenge tough but enjoyable.

Craig, a customer experience manager with the AA in Oldbury, added: “It started off okay and then we had the Beast from the East and, after that, one of the hottest summers we have ever had.

“It’s difficult now because of the dark nights and trying to fit a run in with work, so it tends to be late into the evening when I go out, but I’m so close to the end now and that’s pulling me through.”

To donate to Craig’s fundraising mission, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marathonsforhelen