Tom’s on last lap of amazing challenge

LAST lap: running man Tom Robinson

ONE LAST epic push is in store for a doting Saddleworth dad who is nearing the end of a challenge spanning 100 days.

Diggle runner Tom Robinson, whose young son Jake has Type 1 diabetes, set out in June to run a staggering hundred 10k runs in as many days.

Now he’s preparing to finish the charity mission with a final challenge this weekend — the Great North Run.

The 13-mile Newcastle slog will be his final feat in his efforts to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Tom (36), said: “I was taking it easy in the first 50 runs, I didn’t want to pick up any injuries.

“I got past 50 and really started enjoying it.”

By the end of the week he will have covered more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) in daily runs around his home village and Friezland. But it’s not always been that simple.

Tom, who works for the Royal Bank of Scotland, had to complete two runs in Edinburgh after being sent there for a weekend with his job.

European training sessions were also on the cards during a getaway to France, while a visit to his mother-in-law’s home in Ireland saw him become acquainted with the countryside there.

Gearing up for the race on Sunday with two Saddleworth friends, Tom is looking forward to toasting his success in raising money and awareness for the cause.

He added: “I’m just going to soak up the atmosphere and we’re staying there that night to celebrate.

“The awareness it has raised has been great, I even had a woman contacting me from Texas to congratulate me.

“I plan to keep going with the runs, but safely in the knowledge that I can have the odd day off if I want.”

To support him in his mission visit www.justgiving.com/100runs4jdrf