Man running 251 miles in three days for charity

Alex Bance set off on the challenge at about midday on Sunday

A man running 251 miles in three days for a children's hospice has said he likes the challenge because of "the risk of catastrophic failure".

Alex Bance, from Salisbury, started the run at about midday on Sunday from Great Ormond Street Hospital and is planning to finish on Wednesday 28 August at the Julia's House hospice in Devizes.

The 44-year-old is no stranger to fundraising challenges, having broken the world record for running while blindfolded in October last year.

Mr Bance, who will take 20-minute naps during the 251 mile run, has previously raised £5,500 for the charity and wants to raise another £1,000.

The sports therapist said this is his most extreme fundraising mission so far.

“Each time I fundraise, I feel like I’ve got to ramp things up a bit," he said.

"I’ve run 100 miles a few times, but I’ve never done a distance like this."

Julia's House often helps children who are deaf and blind, which is why a previous challenge involved ear defenders and a blindfold

The world record breaking challenge in October saw Mr Bance complete 72 miles in 24 hours on a running track, while wearing noise-cancelling headphones as well as being blindfolded.

But he said this time, one of the main challenges to overcome is sleep.

He has only been taking 20-minute naps a couple times a day, which he said buys him four or five hours of running time.

"If you sleep longer than that, everything shuts down," he added.

"When I did 25 minutes, my ankles seized up, my legs were killing me, it took me a good 800 metres to get my legs moving again."

'Doing some good'

This run is called Julia's Journey, after the former paediatric nurse who first started the idea to make a support network for families of children with life-limiting conditions.

She died of cancer before the hospice charity could begin, but her friend Mike Wise continued with her dream, naming it after her, opening hospices in Dorset and Wiltshire.

Mr Bance's family has not had to use their services, but he has two children and said he has been impressed by their work.

"Kids are just little balls of potential and hope and then if something happens, it's awful," he said.

"From the first time I walked around the hospice on an Open Day, I knew it was the place I wanted to raise money for.

"I’d rather spend my time doing some good and helping others if I can.”