Newmarket marathon man Martin on track to complete 888 miles in MS challenge

Martin Lively would be the first to admit he hates running, but he has set himself the target of running 33 marathons to raise awareness of the illness his mother has lived with for more than 30 years.

Carol Lively, who lives in Swaffham Bulbeck, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991, before Martin was born, and the condition is getting progressively worse.

“My mum, like so many others, is not one to complain. Despite the severity of her condition, she continues to tell everyone she’s fine but the truth is, she’s not,” said Martin.

“And neither are the 130 people diagnosed with MS every week in the UK. With more than 130,000 people living with MS across the country, the need for action has never been more urgent.

“That’s why I’ve committed to running 1,430 kilometres, equivalent to 888 miles or 33 marathons, in support of the MS Society,” said Martin, who lives in Tutte Gardens in Newmarket.

“Despite my own personal dislike of running, not to mention I'm terrible at it, I’m determined to use whatever ability I have to make a difference in the fight against this disease.”

He has been running every month since February and has around 150 kilometres left which he is hoping to complete by Christmas.

"What I wanted to do was run 130km a week but I'm not fit enough for that, so I did 130km a month because there's 130,000 people in the UK living with MS at the moment," he explained. "Since I started t's actually gone up to 150,000 so it's really prevalent."

He added: “I started in February on a whim and, after nine months of pain, I am nearing the end of my journey. It is brutal and I am still struggling but hopefully within a few weeks, we'll be there and I can throw these running shoes away and never look at them again," he said.

However Martin has since learned his brother has signed him up for next year’s Cambridge Half Marathon so he might not be able to put his feet up just yet.

“So far we have been able to raise an incredible £3,365 but I would like to get this as close to £10,000 before the year is out,” said Martin, who had a JustGiving page where you can also find a link to his strava: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ martin-lively-1706976432365

Mum Carol, who works from home for the Red2Green charity, said: “I am very, very proud of Martin. It just shows how much he loves his mum.”