Great Great Grandson of All 4 Cup Hero and Hunslet Hawks Legend raises the bar
Former Hunslet Hawks player and Great Great Grandson of All 4 Cup hero Walter Wray, is proving to be as determined as his ancestor.
Since taking up running in 2011 he has completed two marathons, five 100k runs, three 40 mile road races and numerous training events. Last year Andy and his colleagues Alan and Patrick raised approximately £27,000 for Macmillan Cancer Care. Their main event to raise this amount was to cycle the 230 miles from Harrogate to London in 4 1/2 days prior to running the London Marathon.
This year he has raised the bar. He plans to run up and down each of the highest peaks of all 5 countries of the British Isles (>17,500m ascent); cycling between each peak a combined distance of over 1,200 miles to then complete the Virgin Money London Marathon.
His good friend Keith Brook’s son Alfie suffers with Cystic Fibrosis. This challenge is sure to capture the imagination and support of both West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and the whole nation if marketed correctly. Keith and Andy were both professional rugby league players who will hopefully gain support from our M62 corridor brothers and sisters. They both now own and run gymnasiums giving us a daily audience to raise funds through and help train up to the event.
The event itself will travel through England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Sleive Donard, Carrauntoohil and Snowdon. Cystic Fibrosis sufferers and other members of the public are invited to involve themselves in this week long challenge. It could always be claimed as Cystic Fibrosis week! Friends, family and associates will be invited to join in the climbs, offering encouragement for his own journey and being led by myself if never climbed before. His friends within the mountain rescue have all offered to help. This he feels will give a great public display through social media and add to the excitement of the final challenge.
Currently he has many events planned to help him prepare for this event. He has entered the ‘Last One Standing’ in Belfast on Saturday 20 February. It’s a 4.2 mile run around the grounds of Castle Ward to be completed within an hour, then do the run again on the hour, as many times as you can. He is already up to 18 hours in training and expects the run to go beyond 24 hours. He has already set up a Just Giving page for: https://www.justgiving.com/Wraymondo2016. This money will continue helping toward a sensational pledge of £10,000+ come marathon day.
All money raised will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Andy is looking for a main sponsor to headline the event. The sponsor would donate £2,000 whilst his own fundraising would match this. You would have a custom kit designed in your business colours and logos. They would be featured in all news publications and training events and also have guest priority at the charity auction. If you can help in what will be a mammoth effort, all for a worthy cause, please get in touch.
Andy’s son, also called Alfie, looks set to to follow in the family tradition. He’s pictured above in front of a photo of his great great great grandfather Walter.
