by FRANCESCA ELLIOTT
A CHARITABLE fitness fanatic ran for nine hours outside a supermarket to raise money for a children’s charity.
John Jennings, 44, from Upton in Chester ran from 11am to 7.20pm on a treadmill outside Sainsbury’s in Flint, completing an impressive 45 miles, stopping only twice for quick toilet breaks.
“He’s amazing,” said Mike Hughes of the children’s charity Miles of Smiles.
“He’s a running machine, he eats and drinks while he’s running and he’s barely out of breath.
“He’s so used to running long distances that a nine hour run is a walk in the park to him.
“In fact, he’s so disappointed that he didn’t reach his personal target of 48 miles that’s doing the run again in a couple of weeks, just as soon as we can find another supermarket to host it!”
John has supported Miles of Smiles for five years, running three London Marathons for them and raising more than £11,000.
The charity was launched through The Chronicle in 1992 to send sick, disabled and under-privileged children from Chester, North Wales and the Wirral on the trip of a lifetime.
John said he began supporting the charity after running the Chester marathon and was keen for the money he raised to go somewhere local and not lost in administrative costs.
“I wanted to raise money for a more personal charity,” he said.
“I’m a bit of a fitness fanatic, I used to box but after I lost my memory for a bit I decided to find something else to do.
“Running on the treadmill is a bit boring, but seeing people donate money keeps me going.
“I’ll definitely keep running and raising money, I love it.”
John raised £900 during his run would like to thank LA Fitness for lending him their treadmill and the staff and customers at Sainsbury’s for their generosity.
MILES OF SMILES John Jennings and 10 year-old Curtis Hill run to raise money for the Miles of Smiles charity.
