Eastbourne area man runs back garden marathon to raise funds for charity.

Lee Dunstall, who teaches at the Ore Valley campus of East Sussex College Hastings, loves to run in his spare time.

Lee is a long-distance runner and had planned to run four 100-mile races this year, but due to the current Coronvirus outbreak isn’t sure whether these will go ahead.

Lee said, “My hobby is running and I’ve been planning to complete four 100-mile races before the end of this year. Whether these still go ahead or not, is unknown, but I wanted to keep up my training and complete a ‘long run’ every week. Being confined to the house and only allowed to exercise once a day I came up with the crazy idea to run a marathon in my back garden in Pevensey.

“I measured the garden and worked out that I would need to complete 1,235 laps to cover the 26.2 miles.

“I was confident that the aid station (for water, snacks etc) would always be close at hand and that any toilet breaks would be easier to negotiate.

“I started a little after 11am and the first few laps felt good. However, I soon realised that the ‘hop up’ onto the decked part of the garden would cause a little more muscle fatigue as the afternoon went on. To avoid too much repetitive strain, I changed direction every 100 laps so I could use different muscles.

My girlfriend, Rebecca, joined me for half an hour and kept the snacks, water and motivational tunes ramped up. Over the past few months, Lee and Rebecca have been raising money for Global Radio’s Make Some Noise campaign which supports small charities as they help vulnerable families.

Lee said: “The garden run was the perfect opportunity for me to share their fundraising link via my live stream and Facebook updates. It was great to hear the support and motivational stories from other families joining in from the safety of their gardens.

“Their support overwhelmingly bought in another £300 for my efforts. A chunk came from my frontline GP running pal and another pal at Sussex Police.

“I was nowhere near my personal best of 3hrs 49mins, but I did it in about 6 hours. For the final lap, I threw on my Superman onesie and received a Lego medal once I had crossed the line.

“The run gave me time to reflect on the situation we are all facing I’m grateful that I was able to do this and show others that we don’t need to leave our homes to get the exercise we need or to do the things we love.

You can donate to Lee and Rebecca’s fundraising efforts at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rebecca-parker40at40.

See also: Sussex Royal British Legion home launches appeal for care workers to lok after Armed Forces veterans during the coronavirus crisis

See also: Sussex car parts firm donates 200 easter eggs to NHS hospital heroes

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