A MAN from Fivehead is planning to complete a colossal 130-mile charity running challenge tonight.
Peter Bardell will set off from the Meriden Wayside Cross in Warwickshire, regarded by some as the centre of England, at 12am tonight (November 16) and he aims to run all the way to his home in Fivehead near Taunton.
The Escape From Meriden challenge tasks runners to travel as far as possible from the cross in a 24-hour period, with the person who travelled the furthest declared the winner.
Mr Bardell hopes to reach south of Bristol in the 24 hours and will soldier on to his home following this, aiming to complete the challenge in 36 hours.
He decided to take on the challenge to give back to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance after they provided vital care for him following a “scary” head injury.
“I fell from scaffolding at home which was about three meters high and landed on some concrete,” he said.
“My wife walked in and saw me lying on the floor in a pool of blood. I think she thought I had died.
“I have a seven-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son, so it’s not been easier on any of them. It was quite scary for us all.
“I had a bleed on the brain and a cracked skull that meant I had to stay at Southmead Hospital for eight days while I recovered.
“I have no memory of that time or the accident whatsoever.
“So, once I recovered, I knew I had to give something back to the air ambulance as they were so quick to help me when it was clear they were needed.”
Mr Bardell said he entered the race a year ago but found it difficult to get back into running following the accident.
“I often run round the block, but when I first tried it following the head injury I couldn’t even get round a mile,” he said.
“It’s been a real challenge to get myself fit again and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to raise money for a charity which does such vital work.”
At the time of writing, Mr Bardell has raised £925.
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