A soldier is putting his body on the line again to raise money for Royal Star & Garter.
Staff Sergeant Greg Smith will take on three 100km ultra marathons in three months with long-time pal Pete Seabrook, starting in August.
It is the second time the pair, who are from High Wycombe and are known as The Charity Adventurers, have chosen to support Royal Star & Garter.
Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia, with Homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe. The charity has also launched new services reaching out into the community.
In 2020, The Charity Adventurers raised £1,500 for Royal Star & Garter by taking part in an epic 190-mile hike, which stopped off at each of the charity’s three Homes. The pair had heard about the Royal Star & Garter through Greg’s mother, who is a nurse at the High Wycombe Home.
Their latest challenge kicks off on 3 August with the Stour Valley Path 100km Ultra Run. Greg and Pete aim to complete the course in just 15 hours. They will then take on their second ultra marathon in September, and complete the challenge in October, with the aim of raising £1,000.
The Charity Adventurers is the brainchild of Pete. It raises money for military and civilian charities, and reflects the friends’ backgrounds.
Greg, 41, joined the Army 17 years ago and works with Apache helicopters in the Army Air Corps. He is currently based at Army Aviation Centre Middle Wallop, and said:
“We think Royal Star & Garter is an amazing charity which does great work for veterans, which obviously resonates strongly with me.”
He said the pair toyed with the idea of running three 50km ultra marathons, but decided to push themselves further. Greg said:
“Until training for this challenge, the furthest I have ever run before is a half-marathon in 2013, and I’ve hiked 50 miles over two days with the Army. We considered running 50km but Pete and I both thought we could go further. We’re not marathon or ultra-marathon runners, but we really wanted to test ourselves.”
The pair took part in a 50km training run on Saturday 20 July, and Greg added: “There’s a lot of unknowns for us. I’m feeling nervous. We don’t have any experience in this so we’re going in blind. But we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
To sponsor The Charity Adventurers, go to bit.ly/CharityAdventurers24
Royal Star & Garter is welcoming new residents. For more information on this, the new services it provides, or to work at the charity, go to www.starandgarter.org
