12 December 2019 Fundraising
On 8 December, friends and former colleagues Marcus Green and Phil Rossall broke the Guinness World Record for the full marathon wheelchair push at the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit. The duo managed a 2 hours 58 minutes race, which is an incredible achievement and took 3 minutes off the previous record.
Phil was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2016 and wasn’t expected to live beyond two years. He is now unable to move his limbs or breathe for himself, but he is determined to raise awareness and funds for people living with MND.
Earlier this year, the duo also broke the world record for the half marathon wheelchair push, completing an event in Worthing in 1 hour, 29 minutes and 38 seconds – six minutes faster than the previous record.
Winchester based, Marcus Green commented;
“Setting the world record for the half marathon push in Worthing was a wonderful accomplishment earlier in the year and meant a huge amount to Phil.
“Training has been intense since this challenge was another step up. We knew that anything near the record time for the full 26.2 miles would be fantastic, breaking the three hour barrier was a massive achievement.”
Chris James, Director of External Affairs at the Motor Neurone Disease Association commented;
“As a keen runner myself I know just how hard this challenge was going to be and I would like to say a huge congratulations to the both of them. Today in the UK, six people will hear the devastating news that they have motor neurone disease (MND). In that instant, their world – and the world of their loved ones – is shattered.
“Without the incredible support like this from Phil and Marcus the MND Association simply would not be able to fund research to find a cure, campaign and raise awareness of MND and provide its vital support services to those living with and affected by the disease.”
Since his diagnosis, Phil has raised more than £28,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. He has also written a book titled “Motor Neurone Disease the fun bits” to support others affected by the disease. The book is expected to be available from Amazon in the next couple of weeks, with all receipts going to the charity. You can read more about Phil’s story on his blog.