Bradford Army veteran begins 'epic' 870-mile run challenge

Eddie Towler is tackling the 870-mile run to raise money for three charities close to his heart

An Army veteran has set off on an "epic" fundraising mission to run 870 miles (1,400km) from John O'Groats to Land's End in 17 days for charity.

Eddie Towler, from Bradford, will run two marathons a day, helped by comrades from the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.

The former Lancashire Constabulary officer is raising money in memory of a colleague who died with motor neurone disease and for two other charities.

He said no matter how tough the run he would "keep smiling, I always do".

Mr Towler's mission is inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore - who in 2020 walked laps of his garden, raising £38.9m for the NHS charities.

He said: "That's what got me thinking. If Sir Tom can do something, what can I do?"

Mr Towler, 54, joined the Armed Forces in 1984 and spent 12 years in the 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment - the same as Capt Sir Tom.

He said six former soldiers from his regiment developed multiple sclerosis, inspiring him to raise money for the MS Society.

"Looking at the stats on the MS Society website, one in 500 should have MS within the population of Britain," he said.

"But unfortunately there's six guys in a pool of 250 which is astronomical, so I'm running for them."

Eddie Towley hopes to run the distance in 17 days

While serving with Lancashire Police he lost his friend and colleague, Mike Cruise, to motor neurone disease.

"You only get one life, so, especially when you see Mike Cruise losing his life at a young age, you have to get out there and live it," he said.

MND Association is set to benefit from the challenge, as is the Army Benevolent Fund.

Mr Towler is no stranger to charity challenges, tackling a 33-mile run and then a 76-mile run during the pandemic, admitting his wife has "suffered" from his training.

"I've been training since October. I've been running nearly four hours a day and even ran a half marathon on Christmas Day."

He added he was feeling optimistic as he left Scotland bound for Cornwall and it was a case of putting "one step in front of the other".

"The challenge is for me, but the main thing is to try and get as much money for those three charities," he added.