Runners completing fundraising challenge to pass through Warrington

Will Good and Sam Jolly, both 22, are aiming to become the fastest pair to ever run the 870-mile route.

The duo set off from John O’Groats, the most northerly part of the UK, on Monday and plan to finish at Land’s End in Cornwall on September 23 – covering the equivalent of two-and-a-half marathons a day.

Will and Sam, who are hoping to raise £10,000 for mental health charity Mind, are scheduled to run through Warrington tomorrow, Monday.

So far, they duo have raised a staggering £6,084 for the charity on their Just Giving page.

Recent Nottingham University graduate Will said: “Me and Sam really believe that running is amazing for your mental health.

“Doing hard stuff physically often makes the hard stuff in the rest of your life seem a lot easier.”

Sam and Will met at school in Surrey (Image: Supplied)

The route, known as JOGLE (John O’Groats to Lands’ End) is a renowned challenge attempted by hundreds of fitness thrill seekers every year.

Unsurprisingly, biking the route is the more popular choice, with the option of running the distance left for the hardiest of athletes.

The current men’s record is 19 days and 3 hours, which was set last year, while Sharon Gaytor holds the women’s record, in 12 days 11 hours. There is no record for a pair completing the challenge.

Many participants run the route in reverse, finishing in Scotland, and in quicker times.

The friends, who met at secondary school, said they first began discussing the possibility of taking on this mammoth challenge whilst travelling in south east Asia earlier this year. 

The pair have received advice from celebrity running coach Chris Taylor, who recently helped ex-Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews run 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desert. 

“Chris helped us plan the most direct route by foot and also gave us a lot of advice with fuelling and training,” Will said. 

The pair are being supported along the route by a van, driven by friends (Image: Supplied)They will have a support van accompanying them throughout, driven by two friends, who will help them with nutrition and navigation. This will sleep in laybys and campsites along the route.

“We've got high-vis gear, and we've got loads of body-lights and torches for when it gets dark, so we should be fine,” added Will. 

The friends have begun to make a habit of impressive endurance challenges. Last summer, Will and Sam ran the 470-kilometre coastline of Cornwall in eight days, raising £5,300 for Oddballs, a charity focused on raising awareness for testicular cancer through sport.