Coronavirus: No let up for Peterborough runner taking on 5k a day challenge during lockdown

Gavin Jinks from Werrington is not letting sore knees get in the way of his attempts to raise money for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice which is suffering a funding crisis, and also last week had to close its doors to new admissions due to an outbreak of coronavirus.

The 33-year-old said he had never needed the support of the hospice in Longthorpe, but that it offered such great care to residents from in and around Peterborough that he was determined to help.

He said: “I’ve been fortunate I’ve not needed any first-hand experience with Thorpe Hall hospice, but being Peterborough born and bred it’s impossible not to be aware of Thorpe Hall and all that it does.

“The fact is so many people in Peterborough and the surrounding areas have been touched by Sue Ryder. I was reading the PT article that it needed funding so I thought ‘maybe there’s something I can do to raise some funds?’

“I do enjoy running - I had trained to do last year’s cancelled Great Eastern Run and was meant to be running the Milton Keynes marathon on the Sunday just gone.

“There was something on my mind that I wanted to do a running challenge, and over the Easter weekend I was chatting to my wife in the garden about ways of raising money using running. That’s where the 5k every day came from.”

Gavin is now entering his third week of his challenge and is starting to feel the effects on his muscles, meaning he more than many others is hoping to see travel restrictions lifted - the moment he considers the lockdown to have ended.

“My friends teased me relentlessly as pretty soon after my announcement that I would be doing this the Government announced it would be another three weeks minimum of lockdown,” he said.

“5k is a reasonable distance which I can do in the time of the government guidelines of how much exercise you should do each day.

“Towards the back end of last week my legs started to get really sore. My fitness is okay but recovery for my muscles is taking longer and longer. My legs are getting heavier every day.

“I’m okay at the moment, but if restrictions last until September I will have to re-evaluate.”

Gavin wanted to thank his friend Daniel Irwin for all the support he has given him since the start of his challenge.

And he added: “I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has donated so far. The support has been amazing and the generosity shown has blown me away given these difficult times we are in.”

To donate to Gavin’s fundraising appeal, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gavinsquaruntine.