A father and son duo have raised nearly £700 pounds for local amateur boxing clubs by completing every race at the 2024 Workington Festival of Running.
Alan Murray and his teenage son Elliot took on every event at the festival that took place on Sunday, August 4, with this including a half-marathon, 10-kilometre, five-kilometre, and one-kilometre run.
After completing the back-to-back events, the pair have raised £690 through their JustGiving page and Alan was on hand to express his delight at their participation in the event.
He said: "They have done the festival of running for a couple of years but this was the first half-marathon for around 40 years so just to be a part of it was brilliant.
"Elliot has come into his own. My wife and I do a little bit of fundraising and we have done over the years and with Elliot, he has jumped up on that and has taken his good heart to the next level.
"It was so nice to be part of something with the community and it was so well organised."
Alan also discussed the support he and his son received as they took part in the events, including from Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen.
He said: "The community spirit was brilliant and it was also nice for our local MP Josh MacAlister and police and crime commissioner David Allen to be there to support us after meeting Elliot after the boxing club previously.
"The words of support from Josh and Dave at the end of the 10k really meant a lot to Elliot."
For Alan and Elliot, the ultimate goal of the challenge is to help local kids across the county experience the benefits of boxing.
He said: "We are over the moon and the more money that is donated is the more money that goes into all of those boxing clubs.
"This was all Elliot's idea to try and give kids over the summer holidays that chance that he took years ago and give them something to do and we did not want it to just be in Workington, he also wanted it to be Whitehaven and Carlisle.
"Not everyone that goes into a boxing gym is going to be a boxer but it is all about the fitness, the mental health, and being part of a team."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here