Inspirational fundraiser Simon Speight takes on 12 gruelling challenges in 12 months

Despite having already raised over £8,000 for The Prince of Wales Hospice Hospice, Pontefract runner Simon Speight is showing no signs of slowing down in his fundraising endeavours. He will run 12 sponsored marathons throughout this year, and to make this feat even more astonishing, most of these races will be ultramarathons (longer than the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon).

Simon’s most recent race – the fourth of his 12 challenges – was the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on 12 May.

On 13 April, Simon completed his longest event of the year, the Chester Ultra 100, a 100-mile endurance run that must be completed in under 32 hours. Perhaps unsurprisingly, only 45% of the runners finished the event. Simon not only finished, he also came fourth in his age group.

After the event, he wrote on his Facebook page: “I’ve had 12 hours sleep, my legs are a bit stiff, but I’ve had no foot blister issues despite two falls. Let’s make all the training, all the hours, the sweat, the tears, worth the effort for The Prince of Wales Hospice.”

Simon began his fundraising in May 2021, one month after his sister, Anita, died from a brain tumour. She was cared for in The Prince of Wales Hospice, and Simon became determined to raise money to ensure that others could receive that same level of care. He completed several sponsored long-distance challenges to raise funds for the Hospice, including running a 10k race every day for 10 days.

His fundraising feats were interrupted when he was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, which meant that half his pancreas died and he developed Type 3c Diabetes. While this would have stopped most in their tracks, Simon was more determined than ever to get back running, and he soon returned to completing more races.

In 2023, Simon’s wife, Rachael, joined him for the Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon, even though she had no previous inclination to do a full marathon. She enjoyed it so much that she, too, caught the marathon bug and signed up for even longer events. Rachael is joining Simon for 11 of his 12 challenges in 2024, only missing out on the Chester Ultra 100.

With eight more challenges for the year, Simon would love your support to keep him and Rachael going through the hard yards.

On his Facebook page, Simon wrote: “What motivates me? What keeps me going? Knowing I’m making a difference to people’s lives. Knowing I’ve had so much support from so many people on the way. Knowing that I’ll continue to get that support and will be forever grateful.

“All I ask is for my friends and family to help motivate me by showing your support. These challenges are more about the mind. They are really tough. Every love heart, every thumbs up, helps me to keep going and to make my sister proud and helps to raise awareness for Hospice care because one day, god forbid, our time will come when some of us will be thankful for this amazing service, run by amazing people, being readily available in our community. They rely so much on donations.”

Adrian Greenwood, Fundraising Manager at The Prince of Wales Hospice, said: “We’re really grateful for everything that Simon and Rachael have done and continue to do for the Hospice. It’s incredible how they keep raising the bar with their running challenges.

“Simon’s sister, Anita, would be really proud of everything he’s doing and his determination to help us as much as he can.”

You can sponsor Simon by going to his Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/team/arfapanc.

Simon’s 12 challenges in 12 months:

13 January 2024 – The Rasselbock run, Sherwood Pines (6 hour Ultra)

23 March 2024 – The Ultra Loop, Heaton Park (8 hour Ultra)

13 April – Chester Ultra 100 (100 miles)

12 May – Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

1 June – The Ultra Loop Track Edition, Wythenshawe (12 hour Ultra)

20 July – Manvers Dusk Till Dawn (12 hour Ultra)

3 August – Cybi Coastal Marathon, Anglesey (Marathon)

8 September – Great North Run, Newcastle (Half-Marathon)

28 September – Trail Ultra 30, Peak District (30-mile Ultra)

5 October – Round Ripon Ultra (35-mile Ultra)

20 October – The Ultra Loop, Delamere Forest (8 hour Ultra)

10 November – Remembrance Day Run, Durham (Marathon)