Jack Hewitt, who is running eight marathons in Australia this year to raise money for the ME Association and ME/CFS Australia, was pictured earlier today at Bells Beach in the state of Victoria. It’s turned out to be a particularly difficult phase of his campaign.
Jack, our ‘Eight for a Mate!’ marathon man, will be running in the Melrose Great Ocean Road Marathon along the coast tomorrow – the third in his series of big runs for us. If all goes well, the route will take him from Lorne to Apollo Bay.
But “this one’s going to be rough. The run is actually 44k. What’s going on with that?”, he asked his legion of supporters on his Instagram feed (@jackhewitt.runs). “Can I actually call it an ultra marathon?”
“It also has a lot of elevation (488 metres) and I also have some pretty nasty blisters from a hike on Thursday so I’m not as fit as I would like to be.”
Jack, a Brit who has been living in Oz since the beginning of last year, has scheduled his next marathon (No 4) in Queensland on 1st June. Against the odds, he’s still looking on the bright side of life.
“I’m not fussed about it being tough. I’m aiming to pace myself more slowly than my last marathon so that hopefully I can last longer before things become a battle.”
After a recent ankle injury which meant he had to put back his last marathon in order to give a torn tendon a chance to heal, he added: “I know I keep banging on about my ankle injury but, honestly, I am just glad that I am able to run this marathon.”
He’s taken on this year-long challenge because he was utterly shocked by the condition he found his best friend from university, Freddie, was in when he returned to Britain to pay him a visit in June last year. Freddie has very severe ME and needs round-the-clock nursing at his parents' home in Buckinghamshire.
The very best of luck, Jack! We’ll be carrying a report and photos from your Great Ocean Road challenge tomorrow as soon as you’re ready to send them.
The event bills itself as “Australia’s most stunning running event” and warns entrants that the views are so great that “You’ll be pinching yourself the whole time!”
If you would like to donate to Jack’s fundraiser for the MEA, please visit:
Jack's Eight for a Mate! marathons
Fundraising for ME Association
If you’d rather donate to our Australian friends, please visit:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/mecfsmarathonsaus
Tony Britton
Senior Fundraising Volunteer, The ME Association
tony.britton@meassociation.org.uk Mob: 07393 805566
