A heart specialist is aiming to traverse some of Britain’s most mountainous terrain through wind and rain in a bid to complete seven marathons in seven days.
Consultant cardiologist Dr Tim Betts is hoping to complete the 170-mile, coast-to-coast route across the width of the UK to raise £5,000 for the Oxford Heart Centre. Dr Betts, who specialises in the investigation and treatment of heart rhythm disorders and has worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital since 2004, will be running across the hills of the Wainwright Route, from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, as mapped out by British fellwalker Alfred Wainwright in 1972.
Along with running partner and friend, Dr Iain Rock, the pair will carry their water, provisions, wet-weather gear, maps and first aid kit in backpacks to raise cash for the Heart Centre Campaign. They will navigate using OS maps and the GPS on Tim's iPhone. Tim, 42, who lives near Oxford, embarks on the challenge on September 19.
He told the Journal: "This is a once in a lifetime experience – I’ll never be stupid enough to try anything so mad ever again. This is the one mid-life crisis my wife has allowed me to have, so I thought I’d make it a big one.”
The runners have already raised £2,000 towards their fundraising target, two weeks before they set off. The course starts on the shore of the Irish Sea at St Bees in Cumbria, traverses the Lake District, crosses the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire moors and finishes on the North Sea beach at Robin Hoods Bay. The £29m Oxford Heart Centre provides cardiac care for more than two million people in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Money raised during the coast-to-coast run will be used to help fund projects not covered by the NHS, including a new department for heart ultrasound scans and a state-of-the-art audiovisual conference suite.
"Raising money for a charity that’s so close to my heart has been a real motivator,” said Tim. "I’m very proud of what the Oxford Heart Centre already offers and wanted to do something equally outstanding to help contribute to the development of a world-class facility. As the staff will tell you, some of the operations we perform are endurance events so I’m quite used to long and arduous days in the pursuit of a great result.”
Alice Hahn Gosling, Director of Fundraising at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are astounded at Tim’s dedication and enthusiasm for improving the care for his patients. Running one marathon is pretty amazing, but seven back to back is nothing short of incredible."
To follow Tim’s progress or make a donation to the Heart Centre Campaign, visit www.c2crunners.com
