A keen runner from Harrogate has taken his love of the sport to the next level by promising to complete 10K every day for 100 days.
Thomas Norman began his lengthy challenge on June 11 as a way of regaining his fitness after a three week trip to the Philippines.
Since then the 27-year-old has completed the 6.2 mile distance a total of 48 times, and he’s still going strong.
Thomas, who works at Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, said:
It was too hot and humid in the Philippines to run and when I returned I felt like I’d lost my form, fitness and motivation. I woke up one morning and decided to run 10K per day for 100 consecutive days, believing that it would resolve those issues, and I started that day.
To be honest, I didn’t give the challenge much thought. I just committed straight away. If I’d thought about it too much the scale of the challenge would have become more daunting and I may not have started, but I don’t regret it at all – it feels like I’m genuinely challenging myself and that’s rewarding in its own right.
Thomas has previously completed three marathons, including London in 2014, and several half marathons and 10Ks. He began running as a teenager but lost interest during university, instead taking up cigarettes and video games. After university he quit smoking and started running again, and he’s been enjoying it ever since.
Thomas has suffered several injuries since beginning the feat, and is struggling to cope with the lack of recovery time in between runs, but he says it’s now become a part of normal life.
He has decided to use his challenge to raise money for Harrogate-based charity Yorkshire Cancer Research. The charity is dedicated to improving cancer outcomes in Yorkshire, where people are more likely to get cancer, and more likely to die from it, than most other counties in England.
Thomas said:
My grandfather survived prostate cancer a few years ago. My mother is also the Ward Sister at the Breast Cancer Unit at Barnsley Hospital so I am well aware of the impact cancer has on the lives of the sufferer and their family and friends.
The odds are that myself or someone close to me will get cancer at some point. It’s inevitable. Because of this I believe we have a pre-emptive duty to be aware, raise awareness and raise funds if possible.
You can follow Thomas’ progress and sponsor him by visiting www.facebook.com/10KPERDAY
