down’s syndrome
Tom Medrum’s 100 miles in 24 hours
www.justgiving.com/24hrs_100miles
Tom Meldrum, a 37-year-old ex Royal Artillery Major, is making his final preparations to run the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 24 hour ultra marathon this weekend, in support of the Down’s Syndrome Association.
For the uninitiated, an ultra marathon is any race beyond the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Tom is taking this to the extreme and attempting to run 140 miles in 24 hours. The event is this weekend at the Tooting Bec athletics track in London. To avoid boredom and to relieve the stress on the legs, runners change directions every six hours.
So how has Tom trained himself to cope with this extreme distance?
“You have to run. A lot. I have consistently run over 100 miles per week, and on occassion up to 120 miles per week. My build up has included the Thames Path Ultra, which follows the Thames tow path for 50 miles from Reading into London.
Whilst I was in the Army I tried to keep fairly fit, but the training required for this event will take me to a completely new level of fitness, stamina and endurance. There are very, very few people in the world who have run that far in one day. I want to be one of them. Most importantly, I want to do it whilst raising a lot of money for a great cause.”
Tom aims to raise £10,000 for the Down’s Syndrome Association (inspired by his nephew, George) so that more people with Down’s Syndrome and their families can live full and rewarding lives. He’s raised over £2,600 to date, but there is a still long way to go.
You can show your support by donating at www.justgiving.com/24hrs_100miles
