Last Sunday, 26th April, Bath brothers Toby and Seb Symington ran and cycled 260 miles in 26 hours to raise funds for Bath’s largest international development charity, Send a Cow.
In total, they each undertook 2 marathons of running and 3 marathons of cycling, to stave off lockdown ‘boredom’.
The pair have been long term supporters of the Bath-based charity for years, running the Bath Half Marathon this year with their mum Hennie for her 60th birthday, but last weekend they took their fundraising to the next level.
Raising more than £1,600 in just over a day, the two of them have raised enough to help train 26 families in rural Africa to build a tip tap, to take advantage of rainwater harvesting and build a clean latrine.
These measures will help vulnerable families to protect themselves from coronavirus and other diseases, whilst improving their quality of life.
Toby said: “I saw an email from Send a Cow come through on Friday afternoon asking for people to come up with ideas for the #twopointsix challenge.
“I went into my brother Sebastian’s room and asked him if he fancied doing 260 miles of running and cycling across 26 hours.
“I believe his answer was ‘sure’. And so, after stocking up on a few cereal bars, we set off at 5pm on Saturday, and the next 26 hours were: run, cycle, eat, repeat (unfortunately without the addition of sleep).
“We collapsed on the lawn at around 6.30pm on Sunday, exhausted but proud to have raised over £1,600 for Send a Cow.
“Having done a few charity events for Send a Cow in the past, we both know what amazing work the organisation does and are delighted to have been able to contribute in any way possible.”
Meanwhile, their campaign has gained traction online and was even mentioned by @BBCsports on Twitter, whilst garnering dozens of supportive messages from family and friends.
The 2.6 Challenge was started by organisers of the London Marathon, which was due to take place last weekend to ‘save the UK’s charities’.
You can find the latest coronavirus information, advice and community updates for the Bath & North East Somerset area on our dedicated live blog here.
