Veteran raises more than £2,000 for charity with series of half-marathons

An armed forces veteran has raised £2,285 for Parkinson’s UK and mental health charity Mind this week, with five half marathons over five days.
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Despite the blistering bank holiday heat, armed forces veteran Chris Davis crossed the finish line on his final half-marathon this Monday (May 31), stopping off outside the Pink Pub for some celebratory refreshments.

The run, which he completed in,two hours and fifteen minutes, was the last of five half marathons, which he completed from May 27 to May 31 to raise money for Mind and Parksinson’s UK.

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Mr Davis embarked on the challenge to mark his fiftieth birthday and, with 65 and a half miles under his belt, says he feels ‘shattered’ but satisfied.

Chris Davis, moments after finishing his last half marathonChris Davis, moments after finishing his last half marathon
Chris Davis, moments after finishing his last half marathon

“There was just a perverse enjoyment to actually setting myself the challenge and then beating it,” he said.

After serving with the Military Stabilisation Support Group for 24 years, Mr Davis, who now lives in Bognor Regis, doesn’t want for willpower, but even he had to call on his reserves of grit to get through the last parts of the challenge.

“I had to make sure I was well-rested, make sure I took on plenty of fluids during the day and just make sure that, even if I felt good, I forced myself to have those water stops on the hot days.”

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Mr Davis hopes to split whatever money he raises equally between the two charities, but has no plans to stop fundraising yet.

“We’ve actually decided that we’re going to keep going this year, because I’m 50 all year.” He said.

He hopes to raise £50,000 by the end of the year, an ambitious figure picked in tribute to the landmark birthday “We’ll just have to spread it across the year,” he said.

To help Mr Davis reach that ambitious target, visit his JustGiving page here, or go to www.justgiving.com and search for ‘Christopher Davis’.

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