A firefighter ran 76 miles in 12 hours to help a foundation which is raising awareness of a rare genetic disorder.
John Nicholson, who is based at Wakefield Fire Station, equalled the course record in “ultra-marathon” Hell on the Humber.
The challenge saw entrants run across the Humber Bridge as many times as possible in 12 hours. Mr Nicholson managed to cross the river 28 times.
Mr Nicholson, 40, said: “It’s called ‘Hell on the Humber’ – and it is. You have to run across the bridge as many times as you can in 12 hours.
“You set off at 7pm and run until seven in the morning. You can’t stop.”
Mr Nicholson ran to raise money for the Laila Milly Foundation, set up by Ackworth couple Steve and Maya McCormack, whose daughter Laila died of rare genetic disorder Aicardi syndrome.
The Foundation has been fundraising to open a nursery in Hemsworth and raise awareness of the condition.
Mr Nicholson, of Oakwood Avenue, Wakefield, said cash was still being collected from the run. He thanked his wife, Claire, 39 who travelled to Humberside to support him in the challenge last weekend.
He said: “I had to pace myself to try and get across as many time as I could. I couldn’t have done it without Claire passing me food and drinks. The race is winner stays on, so I’ll be back next year.”
It has been 17 months since Laila Milly died but her parents and the community are still working hard to raise money towards a specialist nursery in her memory.
Little Laila sadly lost her battle in March last year – a day before her first birthday.
Her parents have had the continued support of the community since setting up the fund and have so far raised £80,000 – smashing their original target of £60,000.
The two-storey building, on Kirkby Road, with its newly fitted bathroom and kitchen, is set to be completed by the end of the year.
Despite exceeding their target, events are still regularly taking place to add to the funds. Mrs McCormack said: “Everything is going great and the amount we have raised is just fantastic, absolutely wonderful. The support has been phenomenal.”
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