Opus Energy analyst to run 7 marathons in 7 days for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Feb. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- 20 year old Adam Kelly from Kidlington near Oxford will embark on the ultimate challenge later this month, when he runs 7 marathons in 7 days, from Cardiff to Silverstone. Setting off on Monday 28 February, Adam is raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, contributing to a £10,000 pledge by his employer and main sponsor, Opus Energy, who chose the CF Trust as their charity of the year in June last year.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the UK’s most common, life-threatening inherited disease and claims two lives a week in the UK.  Money raised by Opus Energy will help to fund research into treating and curing CF.  It will also help provide support, advice and appropriate clinical care to the 8,500 babies, children and adults with Cystic Fibrosis in the UK.  

Adam’s first marathon will be from Cardiff to Chepstow, from there he heads eastwards until he arrives back in Oxford on day five. On day six he runs from Oxford to Silverstone, and on his final day he will run a half marathon in the morning before lining up to start the adidas Silverstone Half Marathon with fellow CF Trust runners at 12 noon. Adam will start each marathon at 9am and aims to finish each one within
4½ - 5 ½ hours.

Full Itinerary
Day 1: Cardiff - Chepstow
Day 2: Chepstow - Bristol
Day 3: Bristol - Chippenham
Day 4: Chippenham - Swindon (1 mile away)
Day 5: Swindon - Oxford (Kidlington)
Day 6: Oxford - Silverstone
Day 7: Silverstone & Silverstone Half Marathon


Adam said: “I’ve run several marathons over the last two years but I felt like I wanted to take on something even more challenging, and something not many people have done before.

“Although it’s a daunting proposition I’m very excited to be taking on this huge challenge for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. I’m not sure what doing seven marathons will do to me physically or mentally, but I am lucky to have support from my friends all the way along. They will be running, cycling and driving support vehicles with me throughout.”

“I’m actually running 180 miles overall, so some days I will have to run a few extra miles on top of the marathon.

“The training is going well, I’m up to doing four 15 mile runs a week but it’s so difficult to know how my body is going to react when I’m on the road, especially in the latter stages of the challenge, but that is all part of the excitement I suppose! In the meantime my appetite has gone through the roof so I’m trying to take in 4000 calories a day which means eating anything and everything!

“I’d like to thank my main sponsors Opus Energy for providing the money to cover the costs of my run. Having their support means I can really focus on the challenge; I won’t have to worry about things like where I’ll sleep or what I’ll eat on the run, which is a huge help. Their support also means that 100% of the money I raise will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.”

Sue Piper, Senior Corporate and Trust Fundraising Manager for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust: “We were amazed to hear that Adam was taking on the huge challenge for us and we wish him the very best of luck. The support of Opus Energy and their employees like Adam will make a real difference to people living with Cystic Fibrosis, allowing them to look forward to a brighter future.”

Opus Energy’s Managing Director, Charlie Crossley Cooke, said: “Opus Energy takes its role within the community very seriously and therefore we are pleased that Adam has embraced such a challenge in support of the company’s chosen charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

“Opus Energy has a tradition of supporting athletes, having sponsored European Champion gymnast and Northamptonshire local boy Daniel Keatings for a number of years, so to now be able to support one of our own employees in a similar vein is fantastic. We wish him the best of luck as he nears the end of his training and look forward to congratulating him on a terrific achievement.”

To donate, visit http://www.justgiving.com/adam-kelly. You can also get constant updates on Adam’s twitter - http://twitter.com/7MarathonMan.

ENDS

For more information about Adam’s challenge, including support with daily photocalls, please contact Ed Cuffe-Adams (Opus Energy):

E: ed.cuffe-adams@opusenergy.com
T: 0845 2182160

About the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
•   The Cystic Fibrosis Trust is the UK’s only national charity dealing with all aspects of Cystic Fibrosis (CF).  It funds research to treat and cure CF and aims to ensure appropriate clinical care and support for people with Cystic Fibrosis.

•   Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the UK’s most common life-threatening inherited diseases.  Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a single defective gene.  As a result, the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, become clogged with thick sticky mucus resulting in chronic infections and inflammation in the lungs and difficulty digesting food.

•   Each week five babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis and two young people die – 90% from lung damage.  Around half of the CF population can expect to live over 38 years, although improvements in treatments mean a baby born today is expected to live even longer.
•   Further information can be found on our website http://www.cftrust.org.uk.  Help and advice for those affected by Cystic Fibrosis is available through our Helpline on 0300 373 1000.  For further information, media should contact Gemma Matthews on 0208 290 7912 or email gmatthews@cftrust.org.uk

About Opus Energy
•   Opus Energy is a leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses. With offices in Northampton and Oxford, Opus Energy employs over 250 people.

•   Opus Energy supplies over 90,000 UK business sites across all sectors. Large customers include: Stagecoach, Farmfoods, FirstGroup, and Lloyds Pharmacy.  

•   Opus Energy’s management team has a 50 per cent stake in the business, while International Power Plc (LSE:IPR.L) holds 30 per cent and Telecom Plus Plc (LSE: TEP.L ) has 20 per cent.

•   For further information about Opus Energy, please see http://www.opusenergy.com

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Opus Energy offers UK businesses cheap energy and a high standard of customer care. With over 90,000 customers, including FirstGroup, Stagecoach and Lloyds Pharmacy, they provide UK businesses with cost effective solutions to meet their energy requirements.