A GNAAS paramedic is completing an 80-mile ultramarathon in the hopes of raising vital funds for the charity.
39-year-old paramedic Jamie Walsh and other members of the organisation’s critical care team plan on running between GNAAS’ two bases in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, and Langwathby, Penrith, at the end of September over a 24-hour period.
Jamie, from Durham, said: “The charity needs to raise £8 million a year to survive and with a bigger demand for our service than ever, I thought that this was a great way to raise awareness of what we do and why we need the help of the public.
“A couple of years ago, one of the doctors and I decided to raise funds for the charity by cycling base to base so we thought why not do it again this year but run it.”
The team of runners will start the ultramarathon on the 23rd of September in Cumbria and will then make their way across to the charity’s Progress House base in Teesside.
Jamie said: “We will be heading up over the Pennines, then to Great Dun Fell and towards Cauldrons Snout then down to Darlington.
“It’s expected to take us around 24 hours and we’ll be constantly moving bar feed stations to make sure we are properly fuelled for the journey.”
The team plans on beginning their ultramarathon at 10am in Langwathby and will run for around 16km before they start their climb which across the route is equal to the height of two Mount Helvellyns.
Jamie said: “Training is going well, and I am trying to spend as much time as possible on my legs, so I have been running before shift and doing longer runs on my days off.
“People can show their support by giving us a wave along the route and sharing our pages and fundraising links.”
He added: “We’ve made it to the £2000 target, but I would love to see us hit £8k.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far.”
You can support Jamie on his Great North Base to Base ultramarathon here.
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