Lindfield man completes 52 marathon challenge for hospice

A globe-trotting decorator from Lindfield has swapped his paint brushes for running shoes and completed an extraordinary 52 marathons in a year.
Craig Lovelock from Lindfield has completed 52 marathons in a year all over the world to raise money for St Catherine's Hospice - picture submitted euN0mgUEW3S9ucdfF3DwCraig Lovelock from Lindfield has completed 52 marathons in a year all over the world to raise money for St Catherine's Hospice - picture submitted euN0mgUEW3S9ucdfF3Dw
Craig Lovelock from Lindfield has completed 52 marathons in a year all over the world to raise money for St Catherine's Hospice - picture submitted euN0mgUEW3S9ucdfF3Dw

In April last year, Spurs fan Craig Lovelock, 41, set out on his task of running the 26.2 miles race 52 times in 52 weeks; sometimes running two a week.

It is a journey that has taken him from Croydon to Cambodia, through numerous UK and European cities and Asia.

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Destinations also included South-East Asian countries including Boneo, Thailand, Singapore as well as Australia and New Zealand. He’s completed his final run in New Zealand, the place he now calls home.

Prior to taking up the challenge, he had never run a marathon but has always enjoyed road running to keep in shape.

Craig self-funded his entire effort by doing painting and maintenance jobs as he travelled the world to each next race of his incredible pursuit.

He embarked on his quest to raise money for Crawley-based St Catherine’s Hospice, which provides care for 2,000 patients each year with most of its funding coming from donations and fund-raising.

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So far he’s raised £2,100 and his hoping for more to come in.

His proud parents, Lynn and Len, are full of praise for their son. Dad Len, said: “He’s always been a determined lad and when he says he’s going to do something, he usually achieves it. He’s a bit of a Jack of all trades and worked his way round the world to pay his way.

“He’s a credit to his family, friends and Mid Sussex and we’re all so proud of him. He’s our very own Mr Marathon.”

St Catherine’s Hospice cares for people all over the Mid Sussex, Crawley and Horsham area through its respite in-patient services as well as its home care.

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Among the treatments on offer there are counselling, complementary therapies, cancer clinics, and physiotherapy. They also offer support for relatives before the death of a loved one and bereavement counselling afterwards.

A hospice spokesman said: “Huge congratulations to Craig for succeeding in such a fantastic achievement.

“Everyone at St Catherine’s is proud of what he’s done and we are incredibly grateful to him for raising much-needed money to help us with our daily work.”

Anyone inspired by Craig’s marathon fundraising effort can donate to his cause by going to his charity page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ and type his name in the search bar.

For more about St Catherine’s go to www.stch.org.uk/howYouCanHelp