By Sarah Storer
A North Shields’ teen has raised nearly £7,000 for charity by running the entire length of the Tyne & Wear Metro system in just one day.
Charles McManus, 18, ran the 125km, 60 station journey back in September. His journey took him roughly 17 and a half hours which equals the equivalent of three marathons back- to-back.
Charles undertook the ultra-marathon to raise money for both The Brain Tumour Charity and St Oswald’s Hospice, in memory of his dad Dave, who sadly died from a brain tumour in 2017.
The run began at 3am at South Hylton metro station and finished at 8:30pm at Monument. As he ran on main roads instead of the metro line, he had to run back on himself so ultimately ran longer than the metro line itself!
“I decided to run the length of the metro line because I felt it was quite easy to map out,” explained Charles. “It was my first ever ultra-marathon. It allowed me to have a good amount of breaks to recover during the run. It was something that no other person had done before, so I felt as though it would catch a few eyes to raise a bit more for charity.”
Charles’ mam, Claire McManus, agrees “I thought it was a great idea and amazing way to raise money in memory of his dad. Charles is a natural athlete and he follows an American ultra-runner who has done some epic long races. We didn’t think too much about the distance until we started to properly plan the stops. Then reality hit!”
The run was not without its challenges, as Charles twisted his ankle around 20km in. “I was devastated but I knew I had to push on. When I ran back from the airport it felt as though the weather, distance and my legs were against me. I just kept on pushing through thanks to my mam, my cousin Jonny, my brother Ben and my mate Elliot, who ran with me.”
Claire followed Charles the entire way, either in the support car or running parts with him “I had planned where I needed to be based on the approximate times of his arrival. He was taking a picture at each station so I always had a rough idea where he was on the route. The day flew by, it didn’t feel like 17 hours.”
Dave McManus also used to push himself with fitness, and had previously taken part in 100-mile bike rides. “I’d hope my dad would be proud of me. I know he would have been glad that I stuck to what he used to tell me, PMA – Positive Mental Attitude,” says Charles.
“He probably would have tried to run it with me. I believe he could have done the whole thing with me. He’s a very stubborn person which I’ve got a bit of.”
Charles plans to continue raising money for charity over the next few years. “I’m planning on completing the John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge in two years’ time. I want to beat the course record of nine days and two hours. The year after, I’m going to complete the Comrades Marathon with my mam and my cousin Jonny.”
St Oswald’s Hospice has continued to support the family since Dave’s passing. “St Oswald’s is truly a place of angels,” says Claire. “I don’t have the words to fully express my gratitude for the kindness, care and compassion shown to Dave and us. They continued to offer counselling to the children and myself after Dave passed. Seven years on, St Oswald’s are still in touch and reach out with offers of support. A charity that will remain close to my heart forever.”
“It feels as though I’ve been able to make a real difference to people’s lives,” agrees Charles, “especially people who may have gone through the same things as me. Knowing that gives me a real sense of accomplishment.”
If you feel inspired by this local hero and would like to donate, here’s the link: www.justgiving.com/team/mcmanusmetromaprun
