YOU'RE ! AMA ZING
GAVIN FELTON Ran 428 miles to raise money for the National Autistic Society
For more, visit justgiving.com/ fundraising/woody-felton1
JON WATKINS Ran 100 marathons in a year
‘It happened more by accident,’ says Jon Watkins, about his recent challenge to run 100 marathons in a year. ‘Races had just started again after the pandemic and I had a lot of holiday to take, so I just went for it.’ If Watkins makes the prospect of running 2,620 miles sound easy, it’s because this kind of malarkey is nothing new to him. Having rekindled his love of running in his early forties following a divorce, he says running helped him ‘clear his head and improve his physical and mental health’. He soon progressed to marathons and multi-day events. Next, he’s setting his sights on ultras.
WO R D S : H OWA R D CA LV E R T; R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H Y: J O B E L AW R E N S O N . I L L U S T R AT I O N : S H U T T E R S TO C K
The Southern Upland Way is 214 miles long. It’s not flat, either, racking up almost as much elevation as the ascent of Everest. So major kudos is due to Gavin ‘Woody’ Felton for making the first ever out-and-back completion in April this year. ‘I slept for about nine hours in seven days,’ says Felton, who completed the route in seven days, three hours and 51 minutes. Spurring him on was an amazing support team, spearheaded by his partner Siobhan Partington, and a desire to raise money for and awareness of autism. ‘My son is autistic and so am I,’ says Felton. ‘But I see it as an advantage. There’s no way I could have achieved what I have in running without it.’
