Dan goes more than the extra mile in memory of goddaughter Sophie

Sophie died unexpectedly aged just seven in March 2018 after a bout of flu led to acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), which triggered a heart attack from which Sophie never awoke.

Some 10 months later in the following January, Dan began a challenge, running 10km every day come hail, wind, rain, snow or sun for the whole of 2019 to help raise more than £10,000 for Rebecca House Children’s Hospice, which supported Sophie’s family following her death.

As if that wasn’t hard enough, fast forward roughly five years and on 20th December last year (2023), Dan, now 46, began his second running challenge in Sophie’s memory. He is raising more funds for the hospice and the special care baby unit at Noble Hospital, only this time running just over 14km (approximately nine miles) daily to achieve a 3,500 mile target in 400 days. All being well, his last running day should be Wednesday, 22nd January next year!

Dan, who works from home as head of projects for multinational outsourcing company HGS UK, explained: “As tough as my challenge was in 2019, I felt if I was going to ask people to again support me in memory of Sophie, who would have become a teenager this year had she not be taken from us so suddenly, I had to push myself much further than last time, which is the reason for the additional miles and days to take it beyond a year.

“I must admit, it has been a struggle to find that work/life balance to enable me to keep the mileage up day in, day out. I promised no easy cheats so no walking, cycling or running on treadmills. Whatever the weather, I have to run outside.”

Dan continued: “It’s not all been easy paced miles either. I’ve competed in distance events including an ultra-marathon, six full marathons, six half marathons and many shorter distance races in the middle of my long runs.

“My marathons included the Tokyo Marathon last March, which I did as a crazy long weekend leading to jet lag hell so I could make it back in time for my youngest son Reuben’s fourth birthday, and the Paris Marathon the following month, which I ran with my 23-year-old eldest son Bailey, who was making his marathon debut. I then ran the Boston USA Marathon but despite this, by mid-July, I was still 127 miles behind schedule!

“From July, I have had to push even harder so instead of running a minimum 61 miles a week, I’ve been running 65-70 miles. By doing longer weekend runs, I’m now just 28 miles behind, pretty much back to where I need to be but slightly fed up of running. The challenge has pushed me to the limits.”

Now Dan, who used the couch to 5km training plan to begin running roughly a decade ago, is hoping his friends at Blackburn Road Runners, the club he joined three years ago, will continue to support him and keep him company to take him up to and over the finish line in January.

Dan, who also ran last month’s Chicago Marathon in a personal best time of 2:58 at the end of a 70 mile week, said: “It was only when I joined Blackburn Road Runners that I started to take my running more seriously. Prior to that, my marathon time was over five hours. Running in events was just something myself and my very understanding wife Michelle did as an excuse to go travelling somewhere new.

“To help me finish, a number of my club colleagues are now running with me either actually or virtually. The company is much appreciated. Another club member is baking Christmas cakes, which she’s selling to boost my fundraising. I’m very grateful to everyone who is helping me.”

To support Dan, visit his online giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sophierocksagain

Both the special care baby unit and Rebecca House Children’s Hospice are on the Isle of Man, which is where Sophie lived with her family, her mum Sam being one of Dan’s wife’s best friends from childhood. They even went on to study together at university in Liverpool.