Kyle Greig aims to raise £5,000 for Chas and The Gathimba Edwards Foundation
An Aberdeenshire ultra-runner is hoping to set a new world record by attempting “the challenge of his life” to raise funds for two charities close to his heart.
Kyle Greig, 34, from Alford, is determined to break the existing Guinness World Record for the most miles run on a treadmill in 24 hours on Friday, 28 August.
The official record, set by Norwegian Bjørn Tore Kronen Taranger in 2018, stands at 164.36 miles – the equivalent of six marathons.
Greig, who works as a manager at Aberdeen Sports Village, aims to raise £5,000 for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (Chas) and The Gathimba Edwards Foundation by completing the challenge, which will be live-streamed on the Tartan Running Shorts podcast.
Despite being a veteran of countless long-distance challenges, including a third-place finish at the British 100km Championships, Greig is under no illusions this will be his toughest challenge to date.
He said: “I have never found running a marathon to be daunting but running for 24 hours, in one place, without tactics, without changes in pace, without refreshing changes in undulations, and with a huge amount of pressure to break a world record, terrifies me!
“This really will be the challenge of my life so far but, as the old adage says, if your dreams don’t scare you then they’re not big enough.”
Greig is hopeful he might also be able to set a 100 mile world record during the challenge but will have to “wait and see what happens”.
The dad says his motivation for helping Chas and the Gathimba Edwards Foundation comes from becoming a father himself.
He said: “Since having my son Logan just over a year ago and appreciating the joy he brings, I want to support children and their families that haven’t been as fortunate.
“Both charities I’ve chosen help vulnerable children live happier lives – Chas through its work at the two children’s hospices and its Chas at Home service and the Gathimba Edwards Foundation by helping to improve the lives of children and families in Kenya.”
Emma Moore, Chas community fundraiser, said: “Kyle’s world record sporting challenge comes at a fitting time as this week we are also hosting our Big Sporty Quiz fundraiser. We are so grateful that he is donating half of his funds to Chas and we wish him the best of luck for Friday.
“Now, more than ever, we rely on our fundraisers completing challenges such as this to help us continue our work keeping the joy alive for the vulnerable children we support cross Scotland and their families.”
