RAF Lossiemouth fireman James Johnston completes 11 five mile runs in 48 hours to raise £1500 which will buy Christmas gifts for children from disadvantaged families
AN RAF Lossiemouth fireman’s marathon running effort is set to bring some much-needed Christmas cheer to disadvantaged families.
James Johnston did 11 five-mile runs over a 48-hour period to raise over £1500 which will be used to buy Christmas presents for children in Moray who need it most.
He is encouraging people to contact him with suggestions for which families require some support over the festive period.
“I’m not sure if enough people come forward but if not, I’ll get in touch with local charities and make sure that the money finds the right people,” he said.
Posted to RAF Lossie in 2021 and relocating from his home in Carlisle, James loves life in Moray as do his family who head north to visit him regularly.
The super-fit airman also plays football for north junior side Lossiemouth United in his adopted town, and wanted to repay the warm welcome he has received in the coastal community by doing something to help people struggling over the festive period.
He started a fundraising page and signed up to do a five mile run every five hours between Friday and Sunday.
Setting himself a personal target of under 40 minutes for each leg of the challenge, he wanted to go out at a fast pace to make the effort even harder.
“I kind of went pretty hard on the first couple and my legs blew up early and it was just a case of hanging on from there.
“I felt a little bit under pressure because I set myself a goal to do every run in under 40 minutes. A couple of them came really close but I managed, so I was happy with that.
“I’ve worked it out that there’s a total of six hours 45 minutes and 22 seconds, that’s what it took me for the 55 miles but I wasn’t bothered about that.
“My fastest one was 32 minutes and that ended up hurting me in the long run, but I wanted to go hard early and get to that place where it was making me struggle and I definitely got there. I wanted to rely on that motivation for why I was doing it to really get that into my head.
He was glad of some treatment from Lossiemouth United physio Justine East to keep him going to the finish. Members of the club joined him on some of the 11 runs to urge him on - and there was a family surprise.
“The messages of support and encouragement were so good,” he said. “When I’ve been running round town there’s been people who have given me a beep and a little wave, and that kept me ticking away.
“I didn’t realise that my mum had driven up and she was there for my last couple of runs. I had my girlfriend with me as well and probably had to deal with the brunt of it, me moaning about my sore legs and listening to my alarm going off at stupid o’clock in the morning.
“I probably couldn’t have done it without there support.
“But the challenge was the easy bit, now I need to find the families who could use a little extra help this Christmas.”
James posted out a message on social media, looking for worthy causes to benefit from the money he amassed.
He can be contacted on 07351944480 with information on families who could potentially need support.
“Please get in touch anonymously or pass this message on to anyone who could benefit, to arrange completely confidential support. Some basic information on children’s age range and types of presents, that would be most favourable and will really help me to make sure I can help out with the right presents.
“Thanks to the amazing amount of money raised I will also be working alongside local charities to ensure the money will find the right people and have the biggest impact.”
