Oggie’s 40 sub-2 half marathons in 40 days

‘Sub-2’ refers to completing the 13.1 miles in less than two hours - and Oggie achieved this feat at the age of 63!

Now Oggie is encouraging others to get the trainers on and give running a go. Oggie began running at age 55, by the time he turned 60, back in May 2017, he had just completed a ‘300 marathons in 300 weeks’ for Action Mental Health – a task that would seem impossible for most of us, and he completed it ahead of target in just 270 weeks!

Now at age 63 he has completed over 500 full marathons within 500 full weeks for The Rainbow Project.

Whilst running, Oggie has been passionate about supporting various charities over the years. He is aware that through the health pandemic fundraising has been very difficult for Air Ambulance NI and decided to donate £10 of his own money for every half marathon completed in a row and raised £400 for Air Ambulance NI.

Oggie said: “None of us know when you might need the medical services of the air ambulance team and living in Portstewart it’s reassuring to know the team are there to help if needed.

When asked about training towards a half marathon, Oggie said: “Please go for it, follow a training schedule and so long as your fitness allows, stick to it. Doing the runs for charity helps you keep focused and is a great one to consider starting in these challenging Covid-19 times. I have really enjoyed the running. When I started it helped me lose weight, and now helps me keep fit, look after my mind, and deal with the grief of the loss of my civil partner, Brian.”

Kerry Anderson, Air Ambulance NI said: “Oggie is an inspiration to us all and we are very grateful for his support. The donation of £400 could be the next fill of fuel for the helicopter to reach a critically ill patient anywhere in Northern Ireland.”

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