Two friends ran 30 miles a day for seven days in the worse weather of the winter to raise £5,000 for a men’s mental health charity.

Sinead Batterbee, 38, and Gavin Pittman, 34, members of Marsden Racers, a running and cycling club, ran more than a marathon distance every day for a week.

They finished last Sunday and have beaten their ambitious target to raise £5,000 for Andy’s Man Club, which has a branch in Huddersfield.

Gavin, of Cowlersley, came up with the idea as a follow-up to a previous 100-mile canal towpath challenge.

Sinead, who lives in Marsden, said: “We chose to do it in February as that’s the toughest month for running and we were hoping to do it in the Pennines.

“But with lockdown and travel restrictions we had to stay closer to home but that worked out better because we got to see some places we’d never otherwise get to.”

It was snow fun in this weather for Sinead and Gavin

The duo ran between Marsden and Mirfield and on the moors above Holmfirth and around Winscar Reservoir.

“We also got to Emley Moor, which isn’t a good place to be in the rain, and at one point we were shin-deep in snow on the moors,” said Sinead. “It took us an hour and five minutes to run just three miles so we needed to get off there. We were getting nowhere fast.”

Both Sinead and Gavin have had their own struggles with anxiety issues and Gavin found help and support at Andy’s Man Club so that charity was the obvious choice for the fundraiser.

“Both myself and Gavin have suffered with anxiety and Gavin was adamant he wanted to do something for a mental health charity,” said Sinead.

“It’s about breaking down that stigma for men not being able to admit they are struggling.

“Through our club we know how many people struggle with their mental health and how they find comfort in cycling or running.

Relief at the end of a marathon of marathons

“For an organisation like Andy’s Man Club to provide a safe place to talk is invaluable. I think men’s mental health is overlooked in society, and I say that as a woman,” she added.

“A lot is said about white male privilege and that you can’t have any complaints but mental health doesn’t choose its targets, it can affect anyone. That’s why this charity is so important.”

Gavin is back out running after the week-long exertions while Sinead is still resting up. She needs some laser treatment on inflammation on her legs which she blames on her compression tights.

The JustGiving page remains open until Friday so it’s not too late to donate at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/feb30x7