Former Sunderland AFC striker Kevin Phillips will be swapping football boots for his running shoes this year after signing up for the AJ Bell Great North Run.
Phillips was the Premier League's top scorer in the 1999-2000 season at the Stadium of Light and he still remains the only Englishman to have won the coveted European Golden boot for his efforts. The Black Cats legend said he is "so excited" to be running the race for the first time and he's seizing the opportunity to support North East heart charity, the Red Sky Foundation.
He will be joined by his friend whose son has had to undergo three open heart surgeries at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital. And 'Super Kev' hopes that by participating in the half marathon this September he will be able to give something back to the charity.
Phillips said: "I am so excited for my first ever Great North Run. It's for such a brilliant charity and a cause which means a lot to me, especially combining my love of keeping fit while helping to raise money to provide much-needed support for babies, children and adults living with complex heart conditions."
"I'll be doing the run with my good friend Wess Brown whose youngest son Sol has had three open heart surgeries at the Freeman Hospital. It's our way of giving something back so Red Sky Foundation can help other families needing their support. We recognise the hard work the charity does to make a difference to the lives of so many people within the region’s cardiac wards in hospitals and also in local communities across Sunderland and the wider North East."
He added: "We have to do our bit and give something back to help others and this is our way of doing just that. We're really looking forward to joining Team Red Sky and would strongly recommend anyone else thinking of doing the Great North Run to do it for such an amazing charity."
The Red Sky Foundation was set up by Sunderland couple Emma and Sergio Petrucci after their daughter Luna had life-saving treatment. They have since raised close to £1million to fund state of the art cardiac equipment, specialist nursing care, family support services and over 400 emergency defibrillators.
The charity already has over 250 runners signed up to take part in the half marathon. It will be the second year Red Sky Foundation has had people supporting them and with the numbers committed, it looks like a record-breaking year for the charity.
Sergio Petrucci, founder of Red Sky Foundation, added: "We're absolutely delighted to have Kevin and Wess' support, more so because both Emma and I know first hand what it's like to have a child have heart surgery and to have Wess run for it with hundreds of other runners means so much to us. Both Kevin and Wess are such amazing people with a huge heart and they're loved so much across Sunderland we know they'll get plenty of cheers from the red and white fans lining the route."
Anyone looking to support Red Sky Foundation, Kevin Phillips and Wess Brown in the world's largest half marathon on Sunday 10th September can visit the charity’s website and sign up for a place here.
Read next:
