Thrill-seeker and serial fundraiser Richard Bradbury has stepped up his running challenges by completing a 50-mile ultramarathon.

He’s known for his immense adventures and incredible fundraising, but when Audenshaw runner Richard searched for a new way to push himself, the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool race seemed perfectly fitting.

Having ran marathons and various other races in the past, Richard knew he wanted to up the ante with his latest endeavour.

“I saw the race advertised and I knew it was one of the flatter races with no navigation needed, so I thought I’d give it a go.

“Preparation for an ultra is very different to a marathon, of course you’re training more, so I was running 50-mile weeks for a few weeks.

“It’s more mental preparation than physical, you must be good with your strategy and walk some of it. You also have to eat constantly and you’re always fuelling,” he said.

Arriving on the day of the race, Richard tried to not think about the momentous task in front of him, and instead just took the race a section at a time.

“With an ultra, anything could happen on the day. I had a bad leg during training, so I was hoping that wouldn’t come up on the day.

“The nice thing was there was so many people running it, so you felt as if you were all in the same boat.”

The GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool is a fast 50-mile course, ideal for seasoned ultra-runners as well as beginners in the sport.

Richard completed the event in an impressive 10 hours 44 minutes.

“The route was wonderful. We started on the canal and ran along the path for a while, you’re able to get great views of the countryside as well as some nice towns.

“The GB Ultras team hosted a great event, with clear checkpoints which were basically full of food,” he said.

Completing a race of this distance can be taxing on the mind, but Richard found ways to build his mental resilience.

“I’ve always been fairly strong mentally anyway, but I thought about my brother Tim on the course and that helped me on certain sections.

“Everyone was running at a different pace, and some walked more than others, so you reach points where you might pass each other several times and say hello again.

“It’s a great atmosphere at events like this,” Richard said.

Looking ahead to his future races, Richard is looking forward to taking on the Long Beach Marathon in California, which he will step up to complete in October.

His impressive efforts aren’t just for fun either, as Richard is continuing his mission to raise money for Worldwide Cancer Research.

Losing his brother, Tim, to the dreadful disease, Richard has spent the last few years taking on amazing challenges to help ensure that no one’s life is cut short by cancer.

You can help him on his journey, by visiting his JustGiving page here.

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