A dad-of-four is embarking on an enormous 3,572-mile ultra-duathlon over 25 consecutive days, in a heroic bid to raise money for charity.
Andy McGhee, 44, intends to raise money for children with cancer by running, cycling, and running again for three weeks in a row, and aims to hit the £20,000 mark.
After completing his mammoth feat, the ex-army man turned strength conditioning coach will also become the Guinness World Record holder for the most ultra-duathlons completed consecutively.
Andy has been training for around 20 hours a week in the run-up to his ultra-marathon but admits it is nearly impossible to train for.
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The sporty dad first started fundraising in 2015, two years after his then two-year-old son Jude suffered a near-fatal asthma attack.
After spending seven days by Jude's side, Andy was left in awe by the dedicated NHS staff at Southampton’s High Dependency Unit, and went on to run seven back-to-back marathons.
Andy, of Hedge End, near Southampton, Hampshire, said: “Having four children myself, I can’t imagine what it must be like hearing the words that tell you your child has cancer.
“Children with Cancer UK do an incredible job helping kids and their families through what is probably the worst time of their lives while fighting to prevent cancer from affecting more children.
“That’s why I feel it’s such a worthy cause and that is what will be repeating in my mind as I undergo such a huge challenge.”
He continued: “I decided to go for the ultra-duathlon because of all the fundraising I have done, I need to keep picking crazier and crazier challenges.
“I just wanted to pay it forward to the NHS, that's how it all started. I just got the bug. I'm stuck now because if I don't make it bigger, no one's going to donate to me.”
GB Age-Group athlete Andy will travel from Hamble, through Marchwood and the New Forest, and back again, with his journey beginning September 7.
Andy is receiving plenty of support in his efforts from his wife, Carly, 43, daughters, Lily, 15, and Bonnie, 13, and his sons, Jude, 11, and Harrison, 10.
During the task itself, Andy will need to consume 12,500 daily calories to keep his energy levels on top form, tucking into peanut butter and jam sandwiches every half an hour, plus performance gels.
He will also make sure to eat high-calorie meals in between his herculean runs and cycles.
You can donate to Andy's fundraiser for yourself here
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