ONE Oxfordshire Senior League team are resting their legs after going the extra mile for the NHS.
Marston Saints’ squad, along with a handful of additions, have raised more than £8,000 for the Oxford Hospitals Charity.
It came from a challenge to see how far they could run in the space of a week – with the 22 of them racking up a combined total of 725 miles.
It is the equivalent of running to Glasgow and back.
They were inspired by Kennington Athletic, who undertook the same task.
- Marston Saints striker Luke Cuff with a thank-you message
Marston were initially just looking to surpass the £830 raised by their fellow Premier Division side.
But midfielder Ben Green admitted it took off and gained a momentum of its own.
He said: “We saw what Kennington had done and jokingly said we’ll do it.
“The majority of us don’t like just running – doing a long distance is my worst thought.
“To start with we just wanted to beat £800, but by Wednesday we had got to nearly £1,000 and it just went from there.
- Goalkeeper Harry Jenkins bumps into teammate Liam Gomersall on their individual runs
“I just think the NHS rings a bell for people at the moment.
“Everyone wanted to play their part.”
Kyle Harris and Tai Thomas both racked up more than 100 kilometres each, while three others went in a different direction.
Liam Chewings, captain Dan Fraser and Green all said they would shave their heads if it reached a certain amount.
The trio went through with it – and the total is set to rise even further as the fundraising page is set to stay open until the end of the month to cover an extra pay day.
- A compilation video put together by Marston Saints on Facebook to mark their achievement
Uhlsport Hellenic League side Heyford Athletic have said they are the next club to take up the challenge.
And Green admits as well as the pride of raising so much money, the past week has helped take everyone’s minds off a difficult time.
It has even changed his opinion on running, after covering 81 kilometres.
The 33-year-old said: “I’m going to continue two or three times a week.
“It’s quite enjoyable once you get into it, it’s quite a buzz.
“The morale between everyone has been the best it’s been for a long time, even though we’re not together.
“It’s brought us all closer and we can’t wait to meet up again.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who donated.
“We did our bit, but they more than matched the effort.”
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