A Burnley man is taking on the challenge of a lifetime as he attempts to raise £10,000 for charity by running from Turf Moor to every Premier League stadium over the course of the upcoming season.
Having already tackled several ultra-marathons, Worsthorne’s Scott Cunliffe is a champion of the power of sport to promote positive health and wellbeing and aims to spread this message to the entire football family with his extraordinary challenge.
“I wanted to set myself a big challenge that combined my love of away days with my passion for running and for my hometown of Burnley. From this, the idea for RunAway took shape. Over the course of the season, RunAway will incorporate 19 ultramarathons, equating to 3000 miles of running.
“Starting with the first away game at Southampton, I’ll set off from Turf Moor just after the Aberdeen game on August 2nd, giving myself 10 days to make it to the St. Mary’s Stadium. It’s not the easiest start but I’m ready for the challenge!”
“I’m doing this because I know, from personal experience, how running is a powerful tool to achieve positive mental and physical wellbeing.
“I spent two decades working for charities in parts of Southeast Asia that were seriously affected by violent crime and poverty. My experiences left me with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression – running was a major part of my therapy in overcoming this. I want to use that experience to benefit others and I think football is the perfect way to unite people in this cause.
“All the money I raise will go to Burnley FC in the Community, the official charity of Burnley FC. They will then distribute 50% of the funds raised by the RunAway challenge to local charities in Burnley. The other 50% will be divided between the community trusts at each of the Premier League clubs I’ll be running to or charities of their choosing. This way, I hope the challenge will leave its mark on communities across the country – not just here in Burnley.”
