Northampton man smashes target and raises £15,000 for homeless by running thousands of miles

Gary smashed his fundraising target by £12,000
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A Northampton man has raised £15,000 for a homeless charity by running thousands of miles in 2021.

Gary Herbert, 44, finished his challenge of running 2021 miles in 2021 for the Northampton Hope Centre on Friday December 17.

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It took Gary a whole year to complete the challenge. He crossed the finish line after running for a total of 308 hours - nearly two whole weeks of running.

A big congratulations to Gary!A big congratulations to Gary!
A big congratulations to Gary!

Gary said: “It was quite simply the hardest thing I have ever done, it was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting and my body was in bits for pretty much the whole year.

“I felt extremely emotional when I finished the challenge at the Hope Centre as the staff and some of the service users were there at the finish line cheering me on.

"This was very special and a moment I will never forget."

Gary hoped to pass the £3,000 mark but actually finished the challenge £12,000 above his target. Gary is astounded at what he has managed to raise for the Northampton Hope Centre

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He added: “It is absolutely incredible. I still cannot get over everybody’s amazing generosity and it still hasn’t really sunk in to be honest.

"I feel so lucky and truly blessed to have received such incredible support and generosity throughout the whole of 2021.”

After completing such an extreme challenge, Gary has said his body and mind needs a bit of a rest from the pressure and the relentless and extreme nature.

Gary will be taking a rest from his fundraising efforts for a few years. However, in his words ‘never say never’ to another challenge.