40 Hour Charity Treadmill Challenge
Lancing Eagles complete incredible 40-hour treadmill challenge for charity
Members of Lancing Eagles Running Club have successfully completed an extraordinary 40-hour non-stop treadmill challenge to celebrate the club’s 40th anniversary — raising more than £1,800 so far for Ferring Country Centre.
Over the course of 40 continuous hours, an incredible 43 individual club members took part, collectively covering a remarkable 432 miles on the treadmills at Lancing Manor Leisure Centre.
The challenge produced countless inspiring moments and personal achievements throughout the event.
Liam delivered one of the standout performances by running a full marathon in an impressive 3 hours and 17 minutes — before later returning the very same day to run an extra 5k just for fun.
Keir decided to take on the mountain equivalent challenge, setting the treadmill to its steepest incline and power walking his way to an incredible 1,345 metres of elevation gain — the equivalent height of Ben Nevis.
Steve also completed a full marathon distance, but entirely by speed walking, finishing in exactly six hours.
But perhaps the most inspiring achievement of all came from Fran, who completed 4k in 30 minutes while 28 weeks pregnant. Remarkably, Fran ran the entire distance rather than walking, earning huge admiration from everyone involved.
Special mentions also go to Alice, who covered the greatest distance by any female participant with an outstanding 36k, and to Judy, one of the club’s longest standing members, who at 80 years young came in during the middle of the night to complete a one-hour shift covering 5k.
The event was held in support of Ferring Country Centre, who are also celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. The charity provides life-changing support and opportunities for adults with learning disabilities through training, work experience and social activities, helping people build confidence, independence and skills for life.
One of the most memorable moments came halfway through day one, when the Ferring team arrived with service users to cheer the runners on. Their visit lifted spirits across the gym and reminded everyone why they were taking on the challenge. For many, it became the emotional highlight of the 40 hours.
The club would also like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at South Downs Leisure for their amazing support throughout the challenge. The team generously allowed the club to take over several treadmills and “run riot” in the gym for nearly two full days.
A special thank you must also go to Guido, who was immense across the entire event — running, supporting runners, taking photographs and helping keep the energy and atmosphere going over the two days. He truly put in a huge shift from start to finish.
Thanks also go to the Lancing Eagles 40th Anniversary Committee — Brian, Danielle, Jenny and Nik — for organising such an incredible event, as well as to everyone who stopped by to support the runners with cakes, pastries and even pizza.
Finally, the club would like to thank everyone who has donated so far. Donations have already passed £1,800, and there is still time to contribute to this fantastic cause.
A big thank you to Max Spanner for giving up his time to photograph us in action too!