Couple going the distance

A couple are competing in a 100-mile race today to raise money towards treatment for a teenager with a cancerous brain tumour.

Mr Ian McCuaig and his wife, Rachel, of Newark, who are both paramedics, will take part in the Grim Reaper ultra marathon in the grounds of Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, for Sam White, 15.

They are colleagues of Sam’s father, Mr Mike White, who is also a paramedic.

The course is a 10-mile loop that has to be run ten times.

Mr McCuaig said he and his wife hoped to run the 100 miles in around 22 hours.

He said: “The object is simple. You start running at 9am on the Friday and you keep going, eating and drinking on the move, until you finish the 100 miles, which will be some time on Saturday.

“Runners have 26 hours to complete the distance. It’s mainly a test of mental strength, as you have to be able to cope with all the pain that will build throughout the event.

“We have both run this distance before and we know just how painful it will be. It is an event where you are only really competing against yourself and the clock, but I want to beat Rachel and she wants to beat me.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the couple can do so online at www.gofundme.com/u90is