Strength and Conditioning Coach Bob Smith completes 50th half-marathon in 50 weeks with help from Team Bath athletes and staff

14 December 2016

More than 50 Team Bath athletes and staff joined Strength and Conditioning Coach Bob Smith run his 50th half-marathon in just 50 weeks in aid of raising money for Bristol Children’s Hospital.

The outstanding achievement, which will be complete when Bob runs half-marathons 51 and 52 before the New Year, took his Grand Appeal total closer to the target of £12,000 he has set for the end of the year.

Runners included Olympian Ben Fletcher and members of Team Bath staff ranging from the Physio and Sport Science Centre to the Training and Development team.

Individuals ran distances from 1km to half-marathons, with routes passing through various locations in and around Bath.

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Bob Smith ahead of his 50th half-marathon

Bob set himself the challenge of running a half-marathon every week during 2016 to raise money for The Grand Appeal at Bristol Children’s Hospital, who provided care for his daughter Autumn when she was taken seriously ill aged just four weeks with a life-threatening heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia.

After initially setting himself a target of £7,000, Bob later increased it by £1,000 after Autumn had to spend another night in hospital when her heart rate doubled to 260bpm. She has since made a full recovery.

That fundraising goal has already been smashed with Bob’s total passing the £9,000 mark but he is determined to finish his year-long challenge on a high and secure as much money for The Grand Appeal as possible.

To find out more about the half-marathon challenge and read Bob’s weekly blog, visit www.bobsgrandappeal.com. To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bobsm100.

Photos courtesy of facebook.com/JJBImages

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