TWO?local men — one from Tavistock and one from?Callington — are busy pounding the pavements in preparation for a mammoth charity challenge to run as far as they can in 24 hours — without any sleep.

Tavistock’s Tim Haimes and Jason Shipton from Callington are both training to take part in the Hope 24 race next week — a 24-hour running event, laid out over a five-mile trail course in Plympton for individuals or relay teams to run as many of the five-mile laps as they can in a 24-hour period.

The event raises funds for Hope for Children and Dartmoor Search and Rescue Plymouth but Tim will mainly be raising funds for his own chosen charity, the children’s wards and neonatal intensive care units at Derriford Hospital, as a way of thanking the hospital and its staff for caring for his son Morgan when he stopped breathing while sleeping when he was only a year old. Thankfully, his son is now a happy and healthy four-year-old but Tim and his family wanted to be able to give something back to the hospital to help others who may need the services.

Tim said: ‘Morgan decided to stop breathing in his sleep about three years ago. His alarm went off and I found myself running around the house with what felt like a dead Morgan in my arms, trying to work out how best to get him breathing again. Fortunately, Morgan was just breathing again by the time the ambulance got to our house.

‘Morgan is fine now — fingers crossed — but everyone that we dealt with at Derriford was absolutely fantastic, so we would like to be able to say thank you to them all by helping to raise some money for anyone else that is unfortunate enough to have to visit them with a very sick child. Thankfully, we have not had any serious problems that have required any more stays in Derriford with him.

‘I’ve never run an ultra marathon before, so this is a new challenge for me. I’m not going to be running fast, it will be slow progress to ensure I stand a chance of running the full 24 hours. It’s going to be difficult taking on the amount of calories needed to run for 24 hours — it takes about 520kcal per five-mile lap.’

Tim said he would be happy to run any distance from 50 to 70-miles as he will be running solo for the 24 hours and not part of a relay team as others will be. He said his wife Jo had been a great help, looking after their two children Morgan, 4, and Jake, 12, while he had been on his training runs.

‘After six months of training, I’m now running 27-mile training runs at the weekends, which had been tough, especially on Dartmoor through the winter months.

‘I run a bit normally and I still enjoy a challenge. I have run a marathon at night for Cancer Research previously and I’ve slowly run the Tavy 13 a couple of times, as well the Plymouth and Torquay half marathons. I’ve also done a six-hour endurance race before, but nothing that compares to running for a full 24 hours.

‘I’m hoping to raise about £1,000, but any more would be fantastic, as the people that work in the NHS need all the support they can get at the moment.’

Tim will be undertaking the challenge on Saturday, May 13.

Anyone who would like to support Tim in his fundraising can do so by visiting the website www.justgiving.com/ TimHaimesHope24

Jason, a long-standing member of Tavistock Running Club, is currently training to take part in two arduous running challenges to raise money for The Triangle Centre — a cancer support hub in the heart of Tavistock.

The 47-year-old fitness enthusiast will take on the Hope 24 race next week before taking on the 24h Conti Thunder Run in the summer.

Hope 24 is a running event laid out over a five-mile trail course in Plympton for individuals or relay teams to run as many of the five-mile laps as they can in 24 hours.

Jason will switch the tracks for rougher surfaces in July when he takes on the Conti Thunder Run — an off-road relay race against the clock.

A true test of physical fitness and mental motivation, the race challenges participants to do as many 10km loops as they can in the allocated time.

Jason will be raising funds for his chosen charity, The Triangle Centre, as a way of thanking the centre and its staff for the care and support it has provided his mum, Lynne.

The Triangle Centre is staffed by experienced cancer nurses, therapists and trained volunteers who help cancer patients and their families navigate through treatment.

‘I am running two 24 hours’ runs for this wonderful charity who help people fighting cancer,’ said Jason.

‘This disease is a nasty one and can hurt and affect many people in different ways.

‘I am raising money so the Triangle support centre can reach out to more families and help them through the rough times.

‘I would like to raise as much as I can to see the centre help other families like mine going through cancer.

‘The Triangle Centre is such a great cause and I hope to raise as much money as possible. I’ve been busy training for the races and I’m excited to take on the challenge!’