An east London man has taken on a gruelling running challenge to raise vital funds for a London hospice.
Stephen Moules, 28, who lives in Limehouse, is running to 267 London Underground stations over 22 days.
His route covers 280 miles and is just under a half marathon a day – the whole journey taking him the equivalent of his east London flat to Durham.
His challenge began at Chesham Station on Saturday, September 5 and concludes at Westminster Station on Saturday, September 26, raising over £5,000 so far.
READ MORE: Children get jogging with Islington school running challengeHousing Association land manager Stephen got into running during lockdown and decided to give his new hobby a purpose.
After planning the route, he decided to fundraise for Royal Trinity Hospice, as so much had been raised for NHS charities such as the £32million raised by Captain Tom.
He said: “My girlfriend and lots of friends are doctors. I was hearing a lot of stories about how tough it had been.
“A poignant part of lockdown was the hidden stories. Where patients were unable to have anyone there. The last bits of their lives were ending in such a sad way.
“Trinity’s care is free and thousands of people rely on them, especially when their families can’t go and see them. They need funds desperately.”
His fundraiser says the coronavirus crisis has made the grieving process “even more difficult than normal”.
Speaking to this newspaper over halfway through his “tuberunner” challenge, Stephen says he is enjoying it more than he thought he would.
“My body hasn’t given up on me yet.
“Friends have taken days off or run with me around their shift patterns, ranging from keen runners to people who have never run before.
“Trinity’s fundraising director is coming along on the last day. He made a promise in the moment and is now desperately training.”
Polly Balsom, 34, head of communications at the charity said: “It’s phenomenal what he is doing. We are always staggered when people take on challenges, but this one is not one we’ve seen before. It is incredible.
“The times we are going through, talking about death and dying has never been more important and we play a vital role.”
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