Fundraiser completes epic Metro running challenge

Paul, 35, who lives in Vietnam, returned to his native north east to conquer the gruelling 73.5-mile ultra-marathon, tracking both of Metro’s yellow and green lines in under 24 hours.

His superhuman effort was to raise money the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa), a UK charity which supports children whose parents are suffering from alcohol addiction. So far he has raised over £12,000.

It’s a cause close to Paul’s heart as his late mother, Sarah, battled alcohol addiction when he was growing up.

This inspired him to defy the pain barrier to cross the finish line at St James Metro station in Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, 8 February, in 18 hours 30 minutes, where he was met by cheering friends and family.

He said: “I’m relieved and so pleased that I managed to get to the end of this run. I’m looking forward to a nice sit down now.

“It was a lot harder than I expected but I managed to keep going. I was in a lot of pain. The sheer distance was challenging mentally and physically. I’m just so happy to have reached the finish and I was delighted to see all my friends and family there to cheer me on.”

Paul’s epic challenge began at 8pm on Saturday night at South Hylton Metro station in Sunderland.

He ran to Pelaw in Gateshead, then down to South Shields and back, before heading through Gateshead and Newcastle to reach the airport. He then ran back to South Gosforth before running around Metro’s coastal loop through North Tyneside.

Paul is hoping his challenge will support Nacoa’s free help line for young people who have a parent or guardian with alcoholism.

He added: “It’s cause close to my heart as I grew up in a household where my mam was an alcoholic. Hopefully my fundraising will help Nacoa to support other kids who are going through what I went through. It’s a great cause and I’m pleased to say that so far the run has raised over £11,000.”

Metro operator Nexus said it was delighted to see that Paul had completed his running challenge and wished him well.

Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said: “This was an incredible feat of endurance from Paul and we’re over the moon to see that he has completed this challenge inside a single day.

“It’s a monumental effort to run the full length of our system along adjacent paths and roads. We were delighted to welcome Paul at the finish line in Newcastle.  He’s supporting a realty worthwhile cause, one that’s close to his own heart, and we wish him well with his fundraising. He can now take a well-earned rest.”