Sunderland soldier raises more than £1,700 in 70-mile ultra-marathon
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A Sunderland soldier successfully ran 70 miles in 15 hours to raise money for a local veteran’s charity.
Daniel Knight, 44, ran from Carlisle to Newcastle – along Hadrian’s Wall – to raise money for Veterans in Crisis Sunderland.
Daniel, who has served in the British Army for 19 years, started his run at 6.45am alongside his friend Robert Wilson, completing it in 14 hours and 51 minutes.
He said: “Myself and Rob aimed to complete the run it in 17 to 18 hours.
"Throughout, I was maintaining checks for hydration, pace and food consumption by continuously checking my watch.”
Daniel, who serves in the Royal Logistics Corps, continued: “There were five pitstop checkpoints in total and we didn’t hang around for too long – a quick refill of water, a banana then back on the route again.”
Unfortunately for Daniel, at mile 44, he ate too much food during a pitstop and had to take a break.
He said: “I made a huge error by consuming too much food, which then brought some severe sharp pains in my gallbladder area.
"I tried to run and walk it off but it wasn’t shifting.
"I told Rob to leave me and go and get his best time. He didn’t want to but I had to square myself away.
“He went on his way whilst I struggled to get back into my momentum.
“Approximately an hour or so later, the pain eased off and I found my mojo then got back on it.”
Daniel managed to complete the run in 14 hours and 51 minutes, while Rob did it in 13 hours and 44 minutes.
Daniel said: “Our times were a lot quicker than we expected and we were both over the moon.
"We had a lot more to give at the end – surprisingly – which motivated us to sign up for the 100 miler next year.”
Daniel and Rob would like to thank everyone that helped raise the money, their family and friends, Lakeside Post office, David Lloyd Leisure, Tanshock sunbed shop and Jason Dunn who sponsored Rob £1 for every mile he ran.
The pair managed to raise £1,779.60 and are already looking forward to their next event, the Rat Race 100 ultramarathon, from Bamburgh Castle to Edinburgh Castle in July next year.