13 Jun 2024
On 25 May 2024, Iain – father to London’s Air Ambulance patient Lewis – ran from London to Brighton in the London2Brighton Ultra Challenge to raise funds for our charity.
“Around this time three years ago, a team of four London’s Air Ambulance medics were treating my teenage son,” said Iain. “It is a remarkable service and I wanted to do something for the air ambulance to mark the three-year milestone.”
Previously, Iain had been a frequent 10K runner and had completed half marathons when he was in the military, “but that was in 2003!” said Iain. “When Lewis had his accident, I decided I needed to get fit for him. That was when the training began.”
Iain trained intensely: cycling, running and really concentrating on developing his fitness, with the goal to complete a challenge that was significantly harder than anything he’d done before.
“I had never done a distance like this,” said Iain. “So it definitely classed as a challenge.”
Iain ran the full distance of 100km – although his watch claims 102 overall! – in the name of London’s Air Ambulance Charity and to honour Lewis’ incredible recovery. The run took him 14 hours and 40 minutes and despite a few tumbles along the way, Iain completed the Ultra Challenge.
“Every other stop my two friends and brother would be there. Halfway, at 58K, you only have a marathon left to go,” explained Iain. “But in that second half, I got cramp and fell three times – I lost a lot of my skin and took on a lot of gravel! It did nearly break me, but I thought ‘no, get up, get moving’.”
Regardless of the scrapes and bruises, Iain finished the full challenge and has so far raised over £7,300 for the charity. This is an outstanding amount and is more than the cost of three whole missions.
“When my friends drove me home, only then did I realise just how far I had run – the drive took forever! It was really nice arriving home to get a hug from Lewis.
“I genuinely can’t say how happy I am being able to do something for the charity. It’s such an incredible organisation, I am up for any new challenges in the future!”
We’re so glad we could be there for Lewis on that day and are incredibly in awe of Iain’s accomplishment. His efforts truly will help us save more lives in London. If you’re interested in taking on a challenge for our service, please get in touch on [email protected].