A man is set to run six marathons in six days, climbing higher than Mt Everest, to raise money for a children's charity.
Sam Tomkins will be tackling a 157-mile 'Midlands Race' to raise money for Midlands charity, Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust, who battle against what Mr Tomkins described as ‘horrible’ diseases.
Although Tomkins has never been, ‘personally affected by cancer’ he said that seeing the suffering of children had ‘always bothered’ him and gave him the motivation to complete the ascent which will take place in Wales.
In total, Mr Tomkins will climb 31,000 feet during the race (greater than the summit of Mount Everest) across Wales' three highest peaks – Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan on August 5.
Although he admitted to feeling, ‘a bit nervous’ due to an ankle injury he had recently suffered from, Mr Tomkins said that he would not let that stop him and that he was determined to complete the race after regular training, with excitement and anticipation.
Mr Tomkins, from Evesham, thanked his wife and children for their unrivalled support throughout his journey.
His daughter Evelyn (aged 9) has been spreading the words of her father's mission at school in the run-up to the event.
Mr Tomkins has been training consistently with 4am starts, across trails such as the Black Mountains Trail run with an elevation of 8426.08 ft, and he also ran a marathon three weeks ago in preparation for the challenge.
To support Mr Tomkins, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sam-tomkins-157milerunthroughwales
Acorns Children’s Hospice has supported more than 750 children and nearly 1,000 families across the West Midlands in the last year.
They provide specialist palliative care and they also build lasting memories for families with their services such as complementary therapies, creative sessions and multi-sensory rooms.
In the UK, there are on average 1902 new cases of cancer in children each year, and 253 deaths.
Acorns relies heavily on donations to fund the majority of their activities, and it costs £975 to provide a nurse-led 24-hour palliative care break for a child in a hospice.
Currently, Mr Tomkins has raised £736, which is 36 per cent of his target of £2,000.
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