Brampton man runs 350 miles for rare disease charity

Ian Spriggs, a caretaker at William Howard School in Brampton, ran from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, completing the challenge late last month.

He did it to raise money for the National Society for Phenylketonuria (NSPKU) as it reaches its 50th anniversary this year.

NSPKU works to support people living with and raise awareness of the rare disease, a metabolic disorder in which people can’t metabolise phenylalanine, an amino acid found in protein foods.

The disease (PKU) causes a build-up of the amino acid to levels that are toxic to the brain.

On his reasons for doing it, he said: “The idea was to create something crazy, something way beyond anything I’ve done before.

“I decided I’d go from Great Ormond Street to Newcastle’s RVI as Molly (his daughter who lives with PKU) started her care at GOSH and is currently under the RVI.

“Then I thought, add some other hospitals that deal with PKU, so Birmingham, Sheffield and Bradford were added as these still sort of fitted into a straight-ish A to B line.”

Ian posing for a picture on The Grand Union Canal (Image: Ian Spriggs)

The run was demanding and required daily foot-care routines, careful route planning to avoid especially steep hill climbs, and tactical accommodation booking.

Now having completed the challenge on July 30, he has spoken about how he feels: “Well, I’m not sure really.

“I’m not one for over-celebrating so find it hard to go overboard about this.”

He said he felt emotional thinking about the roles everyone who has supported him played and came out to support and run with him.

Each hospital he visited arranged a welcome party upon his arrival.

Welcome party put on for him at Birmingham Children's Hospital (Image: Ian Spriggs)

“As I ran towards each hospital’s welcoming party, I felt very self-conscious being the centre of attention.

“Obviously though doing something of this magnitude meant I couldn’t hide behind a rock.

“I’m not sure what, if any sense of accomplishment I have.

“I still can’t actually comprehend what I’ve done as a whole.

“I’m chuffed to bits we have raised so much and raised awareness about PKU.

“NSPKU has looked after Molly all her life, they are the heroes, them and all of you who played a part in the challenge, whatever part it was you played.”

He set a donation target initially of £5k, and so far, has raised just over £4k.

To donors, he said: “You have all been extremely generous and kind.

“Donations from family, friends, work colleagues, the PKU world and people I don’t know.

“I and the NSPKU thank each and every one of you.”