On the weekend of October 4th – 5th, Charles McManus, 19, embarked on a new ultra challenge in support of St Oswald’s Hospice.
The popular Coast to Coast route is 120 miles long, stretching from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Tynemouth in North Tyneside. Adding his own spin to this challenge, Charles decided to not only run the full distance but to do this without stopping, with the aim of finishing within 30 hours.
Conditions weren’t ideal, as the county was battered by Storm Amy, however Charles wasn’t put off and cheerfully set off from Whitehaven at 3am on the Saturday morning. After making excellent progress in spite of the rain and wind, Charles made the wise decision to take a few hours’ rest after completing over 70 miles in 18 hours, reaching the Cumbria – Northumberland border.
The brief rest and recovery stop allowed Charles and his team to get refreshed as best they could before tackling the second leg towards the finish line in Tynemouth.
Charles, from North Shields, is a seasoned runner with plenty of marathons and half marathons under his belt. In 2024, he took on his biggest challenge run to date – a ‘‘Metro multi-marathon’ which saw him run the entire route of the Tyne & Wear Metro line in under 24 hours.
Reflecting on his reasons for undertaking these challenge runs, Charles explained, “St Oswald’s Hospice helped to look after my dad in his final years until he died in 2017.”
“The staff at the Hospice went to the ends of the earth for my dad, and for us as a family too.”
It’s thanks to these people, Charles says, that he was able to battle the elements to complete his run.
Charles reached Tynemouth at 11pm on Sunday evening, after running for approximately 33 hours in total over the two days, raising over £2,200 for St Oswald’s Hospice.
Charles said, “Thank you everyone for supporting me – no matter how much or little you did, it all made a difference, and I really appreciate it.
You were all part of helping me to achieve something that felt impossible!”
Charles added, “Hopefully the money raised from this run will be able to help many other people and their families receive the same care and support that we did, to make those dark times just seem a little brighter.”
Having completed two epic challenges within the space of 13 months, Charles is now planning to take a break before deciding on any future endurance events.
Karen Maclennan, Senior Fundraiser at St Oswald’s Hospice added, “Charles was awesome, and despite the horrendous conditions at the start of the run, he kept on going. I couldn’t stop looking at the app!”
“His sheer determination and strength of character carried him through, along with the support of so many people along the way. Well done Charles. You are an inspiration. Thank you on behalf of everyone here at St Oswald’s Hospice.”
