Chaddleworth resident Oli Powell, 34, runs seven marathons in seven days and raises over £50k for research into son’s rare neurological condition CRELD1
A father has completed seven marathons in seven days to raise awareness and money for research into his young son’s incredibly rare neurological disorder.
Chaddleworth resident Oli Powell, 34, completed the intense 295.4km challenge from December 9 to December 15, running just over 26 miles seven times from his home and back every single day for a week.
His immense efforts have already raised over £50,000 for charity, and he and his wife Sophie will continue to fundraise with the aim of reaching their £100,000 target.
Oli said: “I just wanted to pass on my thanks to everyone who has supported and donated. It has been incredible and very humbling.
“It is amazing how many generous, kind and caring people there are out there. It’s been really touching for both Sophie and I and everyone involved.
“We can’t thank them enough. It has been amazing.”
A large crowd of supporters, friends and family members clapped Oli over the finish line of his final marathon on Sunday afternoon.
He said: “It was amazing. We had lots of people turn up and it was a very nice way to finish things off.”
Oli, who works in the renewable energy industry, decided to take on the marathon challenge for his three-year-old son Angus who was diagnosed in the summer with a newly-identified neurological and genetic disorder called CRELD1 (Cysteine Rich With EGF Like Domains 1).
Angus, called Gus by his family, is the 18th person in the world to be diagnosed with this condition and only one medical paper has been written on it.
Symptoms for CRELD1 include seizures and developmental delay and it can also effect the heart, hearing, sight and other functions of the body.
All the money raised by the Powells will be going to CRELD1 Warriors, a charity dedicated to funding medical research into the condition.
Oli was really pleased with the amount of awareness his challenge has managed to raise about CRELD1.
He said: “Part of the drive [to do the challenge] was for those people who are struggling with young children and have yet to identify what is causing their problems, to know that there is this knowledge out there.
“They should speak to medical professionals and see if they can get tested and hopefully get a diagnosis and put them on a path to making life better. That is a big part of it.”
To donate to the fundraiser, visit the JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/creld1-7in7
