Capital Gains

5 DEC2011

While many workers now take advantage of the increasingly accessible commute to London and Edinburgh, whether it is on a high-speed train or budget airline, one runner is taking a far more strenuous journey between the two.

On April 29, Michael Nowicki will set off on a 15 day run from Parliament Square in London to Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Michael's challenge, which will raise money for the Scottish Association of Mental Health, will see the runner cover a staggering 442.8 miles.

No stranger to distance running, Michael has competed in several triathlons - including a 10 hour event - over the past 11 years. In addition, he has completed the London marathon five times and participated in around 20 hill races in this year alone.

Michael feels his current challenge however, which will be conducted without a back-up team, will represent his most difficult yet. Speaking to scottishrunningguide.com, he commented: "This is by far and away the most demanding event so far. Even though I have been building up to it progressively in terms of training it will still be a mammoth challenge."

When asked about his training, Michael says his rigorous routine has to incorporate full-time employment: "My schedule is built around my work in Royal Edinburgh Hospital, so I try to run over 20km before work four days out of five. Then weekends I do a long run ranging from 30-45km, with a hill session thrown in when I feel like I can handle it!"

Michael hopes his fundraising for SAMH will help to promote mental health and the stigma surrounding the illness. His personal motivation stems from the passing of his cousin, who committed suicide at 19 years of age.

scottishrunningguide.com will be following Michael's capital-to-capital challenge from April onwards. If you want to sponsor him, you can do so by visiting his justgiving page.