Castleford paratrooper to run 50 miles in support of local charities

Five men are to run from Catterick to Castleford carrying 35lb in weight to raise money that will help local families.
Five men are to run from Catterick to Castleford carrying 35lb in weight to raise money that will help local familiesFive men are to run from Catterick to Castleford carrying 35lb in weight to raise money that will help local families
Five men are to run from Catterick to Castleford carrying 35lb in weight to raise money that will help local families

Former paratrooper, Rikki Turner, has been dedicating his lockdown time to his physical fitness while raising money for local causes.

Rikki’s latest challenge will see him, his brother, Ross and three friends, Paul Bamford, Lee Hudson and Dezi Cogan each running 56 miles, from Catterick to Castleford, carrying 35lbs in weight within a target time of 12 hours.

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The challenge is in an effort to raise money for Paul MacNamara, a local man who was involved in the crane accident in London who suffered life changing injuries.

Pictured from left to right: Rikki Turner, Ross Turner and Paul BamfordPictured from left to right: Rikki Turner, Ross Turner and Paul Bamford
Pictured from left to right: Rikki Turner, Ross Turner and Paul Bamford

Rikki said: “We’ll be setting off on the day at around 6am, with a total moving time of 12 hours, we’ll have to make a few breaks in between.

“Training-wise I covered around 20 miles last Saturday, which took me around four hours, from York Marina and back to Castleford.

“It’s important we keep up doing stuff like this for local causes that need it, coming off the back of lockdown it’s hard for everyone still.

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“We’re donating 80 per cent of everything we raise to the Paul McNamara fund, while the other 20 per cent will be held back to help local families who are struggling in the current circumstances.”

(Left to right) Dezi Cogan, Lee Hudson and Malcom McDonald(Left to right) Dezi Cogan, Lee Hudson and Malcom McDonald
(Left to right) Dezi Cogan, Lee Hudson and Malcom McDonald

Rikki was laid off from work due to the COVID-19 crisis, so he dedicated his lockdown time to help the area get fit and healthy, by creating a group called ‘Daily Fitness Challenge’, to help locals achieve their fitness goals at home, setting group members' physical fitness challenges every day.

The group has since accumulated nearly 2000 members and Rikki’s recent efforts have seen him win the Castleford Tigers Community Champion award.

Rikki said: “The route will take us all around the back roads towards Ripon, Tadcaster and come out through Sherburn.

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“The route has been planned to avoid the A1 and other busy roads, as we’ll be travelling on.

“On Sunday, me and Ross will be covered 30 miles for our last training session, the lads are all independently training.

“We’ve been putting our updates on the Facebook group, it has become a support hub that the Castleford community all use to motivate each other and share fundraising ideas.

"I'd also like to say a big thank you to Malcolm McDonald, who will be driving our support vehicle on the day."

To donate to their efforts, see Rikki's GoFundMe page

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