A teenager from North Tyneside is taking on the epic challenge of running the full length of the Metro system in a single day to raise cash for charity.
Charles, of North Shields, is running in memory of his dad, David, who died in 2017, with all of the proceeds going to St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle and the Brain Tumour Charity.
Charles, 18, will be running to every stop on Metro on Sunday, charting the same route as the iconic Metro map. He will track the Metro lines, taking in the fastest routes from station to station via public roads and footpaths.
He’ll clock up 77 miles in a single day, running on Metro’s green line from South Hylton in Sunderland all the way through to Newcastle Airport.
He will begin the challenge at 3am at South Hylton Metro station in Sunderland before running through South and North Tyneside, before crossing the finish line at Monument Metro station in the centre of Newcastle.
Luckily Charles is a seasoned runner with several half and full marathons under his belt, but this will be by far his most ambitious run to date.
He said: “I am into ultra running and read a lot of books on the subject. I keep fit and run regularly, so although the challenge sounds daunting, I am confident I can do it. I have been training to improve my cardio fitness but also doing leg work at the gym and cycling to improve my leg strength.”
Charles, who lives at home with his mum and his younger sister, and has an older brother at university, has a very special reason for choosing to fundraise for St Oswald’s Hospice. His father,. David McManus, received care from the Newcastle-based charity in 2017, and after he died, the family accessed bereavement support from the hospice’s Family Support Service.
Charles said: “When Dad was at the hospice, I remember going to visit him after my football training. I’d get a hot chocolate from the machine there and we’d sit together watching ‘Play to the Whistle’ on TV, as he loved that programme. We’d just chat about school, football, anything really.”
He added: “I just wanted to do something to help others who are in a similar position to my family, when dad was unwell. I heard about the man who ran the length of Africa for charity and that gave me the inspiration to do something myself, which is where the idea came to run the Metro map.”
Lynne Dickinson, Head of Station Delivery at Nexus, said: “This is a fantastic fundraising challenge that Chrales is undertaking along our Metro lines. We all wish him well with it.
“To run the whole length of our yellow and green lines in a single day is a huge test of fitness and endurance.
“The run is taking place on the quickest routes adjacent to our lines, so none of it will actually be taking place on the actual tracks themselves.”
Find out more about Charles's run and how to sponsor him.