Five year old Murray Miles from Chelwood Gate, East Sussex, has raised £6,117 for Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), the charity which helped to save his Dad’s life in September 2019.
Inspired by his Dad, a sporting enthusiast, Murray decided to run a marathon over the course of five days. He successfully completed his laps on 30 April, running over five miles a day in a field at the back of his house. He completed the 26 mile run in 5 hours 31 minutes.
Murray’s enjoyment and determination for this challenge was evident throughout. There was never a moment when he wanted to stop; he actually went faster as the miles went by and he kept finding new enjoyment in the adventure, in particular, embracing jumping in puddles as he ran in all weather.
Murray’s Mum, Emily Miles commented, “Murray’s Dad, Noel, is still in hospital recovering from his accident but we can’t thank KSS enough for being quick to the scene and helping to save his life.
“Noel has taken part in six Ironman triathlons and over 25 marathons so Murray decided to do this challenge to be like his Daddy who is his hero. We are all so proud of Murray and amazed at his energy, enthusiasm and positivity throughout the whole challenge. It truly is an amazing achievement for someone so young. We are very grateful to everyone who has generously donated, including his school, Cumnor House Sussex, Noel’s workplace, our family and friends.
“It has been a cathartic experience sharing what has been a very private and difficult time for our family to now feeling we are starting to emerge from the other side, taking charge of our lives again. With Murray’s magnificent fundraising efforts we can give back to the charity that has given us so much and hopefully we can have a positive influence on other people’s lives.”
Murray said, “I am proud that I ran the marathon and I wasn’t at all tired! I am also happy that I have raised so much money.”
Lynne Harris, Executive Director of Income Generation, KSS added “Murray is a delightful little boy with an infectious, positive spirit. We are so honoured to have witnessed his determination and caring nature – Murray is a real hero and a great young ambassador for KSS.”
KSS has recently announced its Coronavirus Emergency Appeal as the charity needs to raise £535,000 to ensure it can continue to provide world-class fast-response medical care to the sickest and most critically injured across the Kent, Surrey and Sussex regions. In addition, KSS is now also working alongside the NHS and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) to transfer critically ill Coronavirus patients between hospitals in its local regions.
To help Murray raise even more funds for KSS visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Murray-Miles
