Billy Radford is a University of Kent architecture graduate who now works for Kent Sport as a Duty Officer at the Pavilion and also assists with Sports Development activities. Also a member of the University’s Athletics and Cross Country Club, he is in training for an incredible challenge, which is a part of the University’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Last year, Billy ran 200 miles with the University’s Athletics and Cross Country club from Canterbury to Paris raising £6,000 for Pilgrims Hospices. This year they plan to go even further, running 300 miles in 10 days from Canterbury to Kent’s campus in Brussels and then on to Amsterdam with the goal of raising £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation. That is the equivalent of eleven and a half marathons in a row!
So how does one train to run an ultra marathon? Billy’s current training regime involves ten miles a day plus circuits and Spinning classes at Kent Sport and he has the full support of the fitness team. As if that isn’t enough, the training will soon include runs of 13-16 miles.
Billy has been involved with athletics since a young age, with his favourite events being 110m hurdles and long jump. He got into long distance running in 2011, jumping in at the deep end, and completing his first London marathon.
If not on the roads, Billy can be found on the football pitch, squash court, badminton court … basically anywhere sport can be played.
Kent Sport wishes Billy and the ultramarathon team the best of luck. Further details about the challenge and the Cants2Dam runners can be found online, including details on how you can join them for the first leg of the run from Canterbury to Dover on 15 June! You can also follow the progress on Twitter @cants2dam.
If you are working towards a challenge or looking to achieve a personal fitness goal, Kent Sport Initial Fitness Consultations start from just £5, with details on the Kent Sport website.