A FORMER Riddlesden man has completed a gruelling running challenge to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Chris Sutcliffe ran every day for 100 days in support of the charity.

He clocked-up the miles in memory of his late grandfathers.

Both Kenneth Brame, who was 93, and John Peter Sutcliffe, 79, had been diagnosed with dementia.

“I wanted to do it in their memory and to raise money and awareness,” said Chris, 33, a personal trainer.

“During the first wave of coronavirus, one in four people who died from Covid-19 had dementia.

“The World Health Organisation reports that dementia is perhaps the 21st century’s most serious health challenge.

“Worldwide, around 50 million people live with dementia – and by 2050 this number is expected to reach 152 million.”

For the first 50 days of his challenge, Chris – who grew-up in Riddlesden, but now lives in Leeds – covered ten kilometres every day.

On days 51 and 52, he completed a half-marathon and ultra-marathon respectively.

And he continued running daily, with a spectacular finish on the final day – completing a marathon, around an outdoor athletics track at Temple Newsam in Leeds, in a personal best time of three hours and 29 minutes. That shaved 11 minutes off his previous PB.

Over the 100 days, Chris covered a total of 1,075 kilometres.

He averaged over ten kilometres a day and ran the equivalent of 25 marathons.

All his recorded runs can be viewed on the running app, Strava: CSS Fitness.

Chris has raised about £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, but he hopes the figure could rise further.

He set-up an online fundraising page, at justgiving.com/fundraising/cssfitness, where donations can still be made.

Chris – who is a former pupil of East Morton Primary School and Bingley Grammar – said it was a difficult challenge, but for a hugely worthy cause.

“It was extremely tough,” he said.

“It was especially challenging having to run through the wintry conditions we experienced in January and February. There was lots of snow and ice.”

The Alzheimer’s Society supports people living with dementia, funds research and campaigns on the issue. For more details, visit alzheimers.org.uk.