WRITER and ultra distance runner Frank Wainwright reached Wellington on Friday (August 9) on the latest leg of his 2,000-mile Big TOE Tour of England charity challenge.

Frank, aged 54, has been running an average 33 miles a day for 62 consecutive days to link all 42 cathedral cities in the country.

He aims to raise £60,000 for the Brathay Trust, which supports young people from challenging backgrounds and offers an opportunity to build and shape the world around them for the better.

Frank made a brief visit to Wellington Monument before going to see Mark and Sue Steele, who have farmed a 50-strong Patou Alpacas herd in West Buckland, since 2006.

Then, he was off again, heading for Wells Cathedral over the weekend.

The tour is named after the ‘Big TOE’ book he plans to write after the challenge finishes on August 31.

Before even starting his nationwide tour, Frank also completed the Brathay 10in10, running 10 marathons in 10 days in the Lake District near Windermere, which is considered one of the UK'’s toughest running events.

Frank Wainwright is on the home stretch of a 2,000-mile charity run which took him through Wellington this week.
Frank Wainwright is on the home stretch of a 2,000-mile charity run which took him through Wellington this week. ( )

Frank said: “This project is my chance to make sense of a lifetime of energy, experience, and wordy worldliness.

“Being locked into England in 2020 gave me a new appreciation of what England is.

“I travelled around it whenever allowed, running and making new friends, finding inspiration every step of the way.

“I will run and write this unique project, epic in terms of its visceral energy, eloquent, entertaining, and evocative in terms of its delivery.

Mark and Sue Steele's Patou Alpacas herd in West Buckland.
Mark and Sue Steele's Patou Alpacas herd in West Buckland. PHOTO: Patou Alpacas. ( )

“The money raised and the message we put out, these will be used to build a lasting legacy, young people growing up to make the best of the country we live in, and then to go on to make it even better.

“Two thousand miles is a huge ask, but I do have what it takes, both as an athlete and as a money raiser.

“I was the quickest participant in the 2022 Mongol 100, a four marathons four-day crossing of a frozen lake in Outer Mongolia.”

Anybody who wants to support Frank’s fund-raising challenge can find it online here.