Charity centurion goes again
Sellafield Ltd's own marathon-running charity fundraiser sets out again to raise much needed funds.
Kevin (left) and Gary (right), starting out on their consecutive marathons
Gary McKee, a team leader at Sellafield Ltd has this week set out to beat his own record by running a phenomenal 110 consecutive marathons.
While racing, he’s raising much needed funds for Macmillan Cancer Support West Cumbria and West Cumbria Hospice at Home. The funds are more important than ever. Both charities have seen their income reduce since the coronavirus pandemic hit.
In 2017, Gary ran a superb 100 consecutive marathons on 100 consecutive days. Doing so he captured the attention of our employees, West Cumbrians and even the national media. Amongst other media appearances, he featured on Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan.
Should he succeed in his latest challenge, he’ll complete his final run on 21 May 2021. At this point he’ll have managed a staggering 2884 miles. That’s the equivalent of running from his home town in West Cumbria to the foot of Italy.
Gary has already raised almost £12,000, and this figure is likely to rise rapidly as the marathons progress.
He said:
Covid has decimated fundraising opportunities and charities have never had it as tough.
I decided to run 110 marathons in 110 days due to Macmillan celebrating 110 years of existence this year and also to support Hospice at Home West Cumbria. They both provide fantastic support for local people.
Another Sellafield Ltd employee and colleague, Kevin Hetherington is running 55 of the marathons with Gary.
He said:
Gary invited me to support him during his challenge. I have never undertaken anything of this magnitude before so 55 marathons sounded like a great number to run, especially fitting it in between work commitments.
We’re following social distancing rules as it’s a different world at the minute and we need to be mindful of following the rules whilst exercising.
Amy Caddy, a work week manager is supporting Gary with his quest.
She said:
It’s an honour to be supporting Gary. What he’s doing is phenomenal, and the funds raised will make such a difference to the 2 charities.
I know Gary well, and wanted to do all I could to raise the profile of the challenge and help him raise as much money as possible. This will give Gary a much-needed boost.
To sponsor Gary, visit his sponsorship page.
You can keep up with progress on his Twitter page.
To sponsor Kevin, visit his sponsorship page.