South Shields Coach Completes 100km Ultramarathon for Suicide Prevention

A South Shields football coach has completed one of endurance running's toughest challenges, running 100 kilometres in a single day to raise money for a cause close to home.

62 miles in 30°C heat

Leon Kirton, who runs LK Coaching, took on the Race to the Stones — a 100km ultramarathon along the ancient Ridgeway trail — on Saturday 11 July. Battling 30°C heat and a couple of injuries along the way, the 20-year-old crossed the line after around seventeen and a half hours on his feet.

The distance is roughly two-and-a-half back-to-back marathons. Kirton had built up to it the year before by finishing a 50km ultramarathon; his response to that was to set his sights on doubling the distance for charity.

Running for a cause close to home

Kirton has been open about why the challenge mattered to him. He has spoken about reaching "rock bottom" a couple of years ago, and chose to raise money for Suicide Prevention UK after seeing directly how the charity supports people in crisis. He has also pointed to how the issue touches his home town.

Best for: Kirton set out to raise £3,000 for Suicide Prevention UK, with donations well over halfway to that target as he crossed the finish line.

It is the kind of local achievement worth marking — a young coach turning a personal low point into something that could help others, and putting himself through a brutal day in the heat to do it.

Kirton's run was covered by the Shields Gazette, where readers can find details of how to support his fundraising.

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