Stewarts & Lloyds RFC

It’s been 2 weeks since Club Members Nathan Hand and Alden Marshall completed an incredible challenge to raise money to help improve the club and make it more accessible for the wider community. Every day in February they ran 10km each except for the last day where they ran 20km each! In total they ran 291km in 27 hours and 33 minutes. 

So far the pair have raised an amazing £2645 via their Just Giving Page. This will remain open till the end of the month if you would like to make a donation after reading their story. 

We sat down with them both to ask a few questions:

How do you feel after completing the challenge? 

Nathan - I feel really proud of both of us for completing the challenge. I’m pleased with the amount that we raised and happy that we done it together as mates. 

Alden - I feel so proud of the fact we managed to stick it out for the duration of the month and at what we have achieved.

What was your preparation like? Do you regularly run together?

N - Weve both run a few 10ks every month together for the past couple of years now but for this challenge we started our prep at the beginning of this year. We set a target to run 100 miles each in January and used that preparation to set the pace for our 10k runs.

A - Like Nathan said, we have been running together a few times a month for the last couple of years, but for the first whole month of January we tried to run 100 miles each to get ourselves used to the kind of distance we would have to cover in February.

What was your motivation for the challenge?

A - I've been a member of the club now for nearly 20 years and feel like it's not only like a club, it's more like a family and it's the family spirit that makes the club so special. So to be able to try and give something back was important to me.

N - For me personally, I play and coach rugby at the club and have my own children coming through the junior section. The future of the club is important and I want to do what I can to help out with the planned improvements. 

What was the hardest part?

N - The running was tough, especially in the dark and cold but the hardest part was getting up at 05:30 everyday and getting out there.

A - As Nathan said although the running part wasn't easy I think that the early morning was the most difficult part, getting out rain or shine.

How does it compare to your previous challenge Nathan? 

N - Probably tougher, mainly because it was for 28 days solid. Although the daily distance was less, it was 3 weeks longer. It was as equally satisfying though, especially finishing the run on the last day.

How’s your recovery going and any plans for a new challenge?

A - We took a few days off before going back to rugby where we went on to play for the club and got 2 big wins at home. We now have a few smaller runs planned, a few 10ks, a 10 miler and a half marathon. But the big one is the 56k ultra we are planning on tackling in may!

We are incredibly proud and thankful to Nathan and Alden for their efforts and want to congratulate them on completing their challenge. We would also like to thank everyone for their support and donations which will go a long way to help make the Clubhouse much more accessible to all of our members and the wider community. 

If you have any ideas for a fundraising challenge or event, or perhaps a local business who would like to sponsor the club, please get in touch at info@stewartsandlloydsrfc.com

And don’t forget to share and, if you can, donate to the lads Just Giving Page while it is still active. Thank you for your support.