Richard Few to run the Pennine Barrier Ultra 50 with one lung

Richard Few, founder of Blackburn based Sales Geek, will take on one of the toughest endurance events in the country...with just one lung.

He is running the Pennine Barrier Ultra 50, a 50-mile ultramarathon with more than ten thousand feet of climbing across the Yorkshire Dales.

He had most of his right lung removed in 2008 and has lived with a permanent respiratory limitation for the past 18 years. Despite this, he has completed several major endurance challenges including last year’s London Marathon. The Pennine Barrier Ultra 50 will be his hardest test yet.

The route begins in Malham and takes runners over Malham Cove, the Dry Valley of Watlowes, Malham Tarn, Fountains Fell, Janet’s Foss and the full Yorkshire Three Peaks.

It is widely regarded as one of the most demanding fifty mile events in the UK. Richard is raising funds for Asthma and Lung UK, the only UK charity dedicated to fighting for everyone’s right to breathe.

“I have lived for eighteen years with only one lung. My challenge this year will be my hardest so far. One in five of us will have a lung condition during our lifetime. There is a new diagnosis every minute.

"I want to show that you can still overcome your challenge and do things others think are impossible. This is not about being an athlete. It is about proving that your circumstances do not have to define your limits.

"If this challenge helps even one person with a lung condition believe they can still push forward, then every mile will be worth it.”

Every £24 raised can support an early career researcher for an hour of lung health research, helping to attract and retain scientific talent in a field that remains underfunded.

Sales Geek, founded in Blackburn in 2017, has grown into the world’s largest provider of part time Sales Directors with a presence across sixty six territories and fifteen time zones.

Richard’s commitment to this challenge comes from the same outlook that shaped the business from the beginning: showing up, doing the hard things and backing people to push past what they thought they could do. His approach to this event reflects the attitude that runs through the team and the work they do with businesses across the UK and beyond.

Support Richard’s fundraising here: 
https://www.justgiving.com/page/onelungultra