Lauren's 7in7 for MNDA and My Name'5 Doddie

Funds

ALL money raised will be split 50/50 between the two charities - MND Association and My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.

When

18-24th February 2024

Where

Headingley, Leeds to Edinburgh Accies, Edinburgh

Day One - Headingley to York - 27.3 miles

Day Two - York to Darlington - 62.5 miles

Day Three - Darlington to Durham - 26.5 miles

Day Four - Durham to Otterburn - 55.7 miles

Day Five - Otterburn to Jedbergh- 26.4 miles

Day Six - Jedburgh to Middleton - 50.2 miles

Day Seven - Middleton to Murrayfield - 26.4 miles

The route I am following will see me stop at some of the most important Rugby venues for both Union and League to fully embrace the importance of the game for both Rob and Doddie - Headingley Stadium, Darlington Mowden RUFC, Newcastle Falcons, Jedburgh RFC, St Boswells RFC, Melrose RFC, Gala RFC and Edinburgh Accies RFC.

The routes are also available to be viewed on Strava as well as training progress! @laurenwood

What

It is a 7in7 Ultramarathon challenge in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association and My Name’5 Doddie foundation. It will be 4 days of running totalling 107 miles, 3 days of cycling totalling 168 miles, 7 days totalling 275 miles. This number has significance for the MND and rugby community with Doddie Weir playing at number 5 and Rob Burrow playing at 7.

Why

For me personally coming from a family that support a lot of rugby and have always supported charity projects, when Doddie Weir was diagnosed we immediately took more of an interest, even naming our Cocker Spaniel after him! Then when the opportunity came to watch Kevin Sinfield arrive at York Minster in his 7in7 challenge and more recently his 7in7in7 challenge it seeded the idea to take on my own challenge to raise money that is needed to find a cure and support those fighting MND.

As Kevin Sinfield has said before “We just want to keep banging the drum. We need to find a cure, it’s a terrible disease and it’s been massively underfunded over the years. We’re just trying to turn that around and try and help.”

So please when the link comes out to donate feel free to donate anything you can to this cause. All money fundraised is split 50/50 to the two charities to help them fight to find a cure for MND.

Who

My name is Lauren Wood, I am 18 years old and in my Upper Sixth year at St Peter’s School in York.

I am passionate about sport, participating in a number of sports as well as spectating. For years I have been captivated by watching Rugby especially the Six Nations with my family. This challenge has already tested my fitness levels as I am far from a marathon runner, but I’m determined to be as fit as I can on the start line at Headingley and this is definitely thanks to Coach Ben and the Movement Blueprint!

The challenge certainly won’t be run in record time but my aim is to finish and in doing so raise as much awareness and funds for MND.

A massive thank you to Paddy Stephen and his sons Nick and Will. A thank you to the Old Peterite community and my sponsors. And lastly to my family and friends for despite thinking I’m mental, supporting me through the ups and downs of training and will be there for the 7 days!

About MND

Motor Neurone Disease is a life limiting condition. It leads the muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste, which can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. Some people also get changes to their thinking and behaviour, but the disease affects everyone differently. Not all symptoms will affect everyone, or in the same order. Symptoms also progress at varying speeds, which makes the course of the disease difficult to predict. MND will eventually kill the person and there is no cure. Although the disease will progress, symptoms can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life and this is why it is vital we support the charities.