TWO friends are taking on the monumental challenge of running from John O Groats to Land’s End and cycling back again in six weeks to raise money for charity.

Ewan ‘Forrest Gump’ Gordon and Kenny Duff are doing the challenge in aid of national children’s charity Lifelites and Oxford children’s hospice Helen and Douglas House. Ewan, who is well known for modelling himself on Tom Hanks’ famous film character Forrest Gump, will also be running in memory of his friend’s son Thomas, who passed away from a very rare condition at the age of nine after receiving end of life care at the hospice. It was here that Ewan was also introduced to the work of Lifelites, who he has supported ever since.

Starting on September 3, the duo will cover a staggering 2000 miles, running for an average of 6 -10 hours per day depending on the conditions and terrain. They are going to be completely self-sufficient so will be carrying all their kit with them in backpacks. 

They’ll be staying overnight in Kendal on the thirteenth day of their journey (September 15), having already covered over 400 miles.

Half of the proceeds raised from the event will go to Lifelites. This small, unique charity donates life changing specialist technology to life-limited and disabled children and young people, like Thomas, in every one of the 60 children’s hospice across the British Isles. Every second counts for these children, and the technology that Lifelites donates can give them opportunities to do things they and their families never thought possible: they can play games with their brothers and sisters, be creative with art and music, control something for themselves and communicate, perhaps for the very first time.

When speaking about their motivations for the challenge Kenny, a police officer, said: “We see ourselves as extremely fortunate and I believe we should put this to use for those who cannot have the same chances I have. We’re blessed to have the time and ability to do this and we really wanted to push ourselves physically and mentally. I see my own limits as things to overcome and this motivates to push further."

Ewan added: “Kenny and I have known each other for 20 years, and have spoken about this many times. We decided it was finally time to take on the challenge. We have no intention of breaking any records or changing the world, we just want to raise as much money as we can for these fabulous charities.”

Preparing for a challenge like this is a huge undertaking, and Kenny and Ewan have had their fair share of obstacles. Ewan said: “I’m a prison officer and Kenny is a police officer, which are both incredibly demanding jobs.  On top of this, Kenny has been ill and had to move house, so the preparation hasn’t quite gone as planned! But we both understand the scale of the challenge and what is to be expected, so we’re confident that we’ll get it done.”

Kenny added: “We’re looking forward to it immensely, albeit with a little trepidation about what lies ahead!”

You can follow the duo on their epic journey here: http://racedrone.net/event/jogle-lejog

If you would like to sponsor Kenny and Ewan and donate money to the two charities, click here: http://greatbritishduathlon.co.uk/