Louth's firefighters tackle gruelling 50mile charity run

​But that’s just what Lilli Atkins, Aaron McCarthy, and Nicky Dull have done on Saturday June 3 as they ran 50 miles between four fire stations across the district, raising money for Bro Pro UK and PACT (Parents Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia) Sheffield and raising awareness on the benefits of physical activity on mental health.

Lilli said that preparing for the gruelling ultramarathon had seen the trio try to increase their mileage by a few miles a week, and gradually build their way up to a marathon distance.

This is a plan that she and Aaron followed, however Nicky didn’t do any training at all!

"It just goes to show that anyone can do this, as it’s as much about mentality as physicality,” Lilli said, “Nicky has great mental strength and it carried him through!”

In very hot temperatures, the trio set off from their home Louth fire station at 6am and ran north-east to North Somercotes, before coming back down near the coast to Mablethorpe and then back inland to Alford, and then back up towards Louth.

Lilli said the heat meant it was a struggle for them and they had to keep hydrated as much as possible:

"We went through some tough periods as we expected, we’d have waves where we’d be feeling great and then come down to earth a bit,” she said, “So when we had a low moment we made sure we ate something nice. to give us a boost.”

The trio had plenty of support from the public at each of the fire stations they visited, with locals joining them on a section of the run before they moved on to the next station.

Lilli and Aaron finished first, in just over 12 hours, and then headed back out on their bikes to support Nicky to the finish line.

Overall, their epic ultramarathon challenge has raised £1,300 for the two good causes, and Lilli said they were all so pleased with how the event went and extended their thanks to everyone who has supported them on their adventure.

Donations are still invited for their challenge, which you can access by visiting their GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/4a7e4dce