Perse pupil crosses the line in fundraising half marathon challenge for NHS

24 Apr 2020

Harry Turner (Year 11) has raised more than double his original target for NHS charities after running a half marathon in his garden.

He had set out to try to raise £500 for NHS charities in support of the fight against coronavirus by covering the 21-kilometre distance over 422 figure-of-eight laps of his garden in a time of 1hr 57min.

However, Harry managed to make a total of £1,171 much to his delight. He said: “Whilst I’m obviously pleased with the time, I think that the money raised and the cause are much more important ultimately.”

Harry, who volunteered at Stevenage’s Lister Hospital prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, admitted he had found it tough completing the test despite having a high level of physical fitness.

He said: “I hadn’t done the full distance beforehand so it was always going to be a challenge. However, before coronavirus hit I was refereeing football matches every Sunday and I’d often do two games back-to-back which requires you to be able to run for well over two hours in total, so I guess that must’ve helped to prepare me!

“Especially towards the middle of the challenge, it was increasingly a mental test as opposed to a physical one, but I just kept going and ultimately finished – I think that music helped a lot with that though. My family took it in turns to be out there and support me, which was very helpful as well.

“It feels great to be able to contribute to the NHS in this difficult time. I’d like to thank everybody that has donated to my Just Giving page. The response has been really good.”