A teaching assistant who "never put himself down as a runner" crossed the finish line of a 167km challenge in memory of two family members he lost to cancer.
Craig Cunningham, from Hove, lost his beloved grandmother Sue Wells, 75, and his aunt Pauline Cunningham, 57, last year.
The 22-year-old sports teaching assistant at Brighton College decided to run 167km in one week in aid of various cancer charities.
“Seeing how this affected us all made me want to make a difference in whatever way I could," said Craig.
He chose to run 167,000 metres to highlight the 167,000 cancer deaths that occur in the UK every year - nearly 460 deaths a day.
He has played rugby his whole life but said he never "had himself down as a runner” and knew this distance would be a challenge.
Craig started training six months before setting off from Dukes Mound on Brighton seafront on Monday, July 3.
He said one of the biggest challenges was his body having to adjust to the "sheer volume of the run".
Craig ran the same 20.8km route every day, between Dukes Mound and Shoreham Port, doing two laps - equivalent to a full marathon - on the final day to complete the 167km. He spent a total time of 19 hours and 45 minutes running.
Craig’s favourite bit of the route was “running along the promenade, especially when the weather was nice”.
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On days one and two the run started out smoothly before Craig’s knees started to suffer on days three and four. He “gritted his teeth” and recovered as best he could.
Throughout the process he had lots of supporters who ran or cycled parts of the route with him. They all came together on the Sunday and crossed the finish line by his side.
Craig said: “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
“I was surprised I completed it but I had my family members in my mind the whole way.
“Crossing the finish line on Sunday was a very proud moment."
Craig smashed his target goal of £5,000 to be shared between Cancer Research UK, St Barnabas House hospice in Worthing and Maggie's Fife cancer charity in Scotland.
He is now preparing to study for a Master's at King's College, London, in September.
He is taking a well deserved break from training at the moment but will "definitely" consider more fundraising challenges and is aiming for a triathlon.
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