Search and rescuer to take on treadmill marathon for RNLI (From Boating Cornwall)

Search and rescuer to take on treadmill marathon for RNLI

9:31am Wednesday 25th January 2012 in News

A keen runner and RNAS Culdrose search and rescue member is warming up to run a treadmill marathon for the RNLI this Friday.

Paul Smith, a member of 771 Search and Rescue Squadron, is planning to run a marathon on a treadmill inside the Helston branch of Sainsburys in support of the RNLI’s SOS Day.

Paul, also known as ‘Smudger’, is 37 and lives in Falmouth with his wife and two children.

He has always been a keen runner, having competed for his home county of Lincolnshire as a teenager and when he first joined the Navy at 16 as a junior Cross Country Champion.

Whilst serving in Afghanistan, Paul ran an extremely hot half marathon in the Kandahar airbase, on a course which took the runners past the open sewage works.

Despite neglecting running in favour of football in recent years, he has always held an ambition to run the London Marathon, something he will do for the RNLI in April this year.

As part of his training Paul has already run two treadmill marathons, both within a week of each other, the first at RNAS Culdrose International Air Day on July 20 and the second at 771 Squadron "Families Day" eight days later.

On RNLI SOS Day, he will be running inside the Helston Sainsbury’s between 2pm and 6pm.

Paul said: "It’s good training for the London Marathon and a good indication of what I can put my body though.

"The best part is the first 13 miles which I’m comfortable with. The worst part is anything between 18 and 21 miles, the so called ‘wall'.

"I am hoping to complete the London Marathon in three hours. However the training has been intensive, I have found myself hitting the streets after the children are in bed with a head-torch and some good tunes, sometimes not getting home until after 9pm.

"My wife already describes herself as a marathon and football widow.

"I have chosen the RNLI as my charity because we work so closely with the charity’s lifeboats, and I've seen the remarkable job the volunteer crews do everyday. These are brave people saving lives at sea.

Paul has already managed to raise £1,700 for the lifeboat charity and is hoping to see some friendly faces at Sainsbury’s on Friday and get some words of encouragement.

He will be collecting money on the day and readers can visit his Virgin Money site and make their donations there, at www.virginmoneygiving.com/PaulSmith31