John Laffey has set himself the gruelling challenge of running 104 miles to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis Society. Alongside his full-time job at Big Yellow Self Storage Edinburgh who are fully behind his efforts, John will be completing three marathons and two half marathons over the next seven months.
John kicked off the first leg of his tough treble with the Schneider Marathon in Paris earlier this month and now the focus is on two local events. Aiming to raise a further £1,000 to add to his previous fundraising efforts, he’ll follow the Paris run with the Stirling Scottish Marathon on 21st May, and just a week later he’ll take part in the Edinburgh Half Marathon on 28th May.
John’s challenge will continue after the summer, when he’ll spend September and October racing around the Great North Run and the Birmingham Marathon. His running friend and fellow fundraiser, Lynsey Courtenay will be hoping to join him in Newcastle for the Great North Run, having just suffered a bad leg break.
This punishing challenge of five races is a step up from the previous two years, over which John has raised an impressive £2,480 for research into MS and other neurological conditions. In 2015, John took part in three half marathons, and in 2016 he ran three full marathons.
MS Society has a close place in both John and Lynsey’s hearts. In 2014, John’s sister, Sharon Wilde was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS, as was Lynsey’s best friend, Gillian. The money raised will go towards helping to find a cure for the condition.
John Laffey, Store Manager at Big Yellow Self Storage Edinburgh said: “For the past two years, I have been raising funds to further research into MS after my sister was diagnosed with the condition. I had intended to take a break this year, however after some encouragement from a friend, I now find myself taking on my biggest challenge yet. I was given extra motivation from Big Yellow Self Storage, who not only continue to make generous donations to help me reach my goals, but also support MS Society through many of the northern stores with local fundraising initiatives. I am excited to take on the first race in just a few weeks, and want to thank everyone who has donated so far.”
If you would like to sponsor John and Lynsey, please go to their fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Lynsey-Courtenay
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