Lunge Marathon for Charity Achieves its Target
Event to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease proves a success
The participants in the Lunge4MND marathon
A charity fundraiser Lunge 4 MND, held on Saturday 24 October in Ealing with the aim to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease by attempting the first ever 24 hour lunge marathon has raised funds for British powerlifter and ex-firefighter John Chart.
Motor neurone disease is an uncommon condition affecting the brain and nerves. It's nearly always fatal with only one person in the UK currently surviving and 48 people worldwide.
Lunge 4 MND was set up by close friend of John's, Dean Ash from Elev8 Fitness Studio and Gym to raise funds and awareness for MND sufferers and follows a previous fundraiser that saw Dean and John cycle the length of the UK. Lunges were chosen as this particular feat has never been done before and John maintains good lower body movement, as such he led the event with his son Chris, Dean Ash and Nick Snaith from Magic FM.
Celebrity guests showed their support by taking part for a short time throughout the marathon including TV presenter Amanda Byram and British actor, Tamer Hassan. The event also gathered a lot of support online, with the likes of Calum Best, Keith Lemon, Lemar and the Singing Dentist all pledging their support.
John served in the London Fire Department for over 26 years and represented Great Britain in powerlifting winning 5 gold medals in a distinguished career. Although the onset of MND means John's motor skills have been severely hampered, it has not affected his determination or drive to achieve.
The team did an impressive 69,048 lunges across the 24 hour period, which equates to 48 lunges a minute! They raised £6,280, smashing their target of £5,000.
John Chart and his son Christopher
John Chart said afterwards, “The whole event was incredible. Someone filmed the finale, and I just couldn't stop rewatching it the next day. And every time I did, it brought a tear to my eye. It was such an amazing event, combining both individual efforts and teamwork, and a very special memory was created that night".
Dean Ash, commented, "I was genuinely humbled by the level of effort every participant gave, both in the build up to the event, and on the day. Everyone had their own moment of pain, whether it was working through injuries, physical exhaustion or sleep deprivation, but they kept on pushing. And the reason they did is they really wanted to make a difference and help start conversations around MND, as well as support John and his family. I couldn't have asked for more, and I'm so proud of my team."
"I was amazed at the resilience of John, who completed the challenge alongside us, despite having MND, which made it even more physically demanding on him. His son, Chris, also did a magnificent job, and gave it his all. He really did himself and his father proud."
To donate go to the event's GoFundMe page.
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November 5, 2020