Running around the clock for CRY

The almighty challenge of a 24 hour run was taken on this month by the University of Manchester Athletics and Cross Country Club (UMACCC), all in the name of charity.

The event proved a resounding success as an impressive £452.77 was raised to fund the lifechanging work of CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). With a devastating figure of 12 young people per week dying of undiagnosed but preventable sudden cardiac death in the UK, CRY are dedicated to developing heart screening programmes to identify those at risk, and funding research into understanding the causes of these tragic deaths.

As young athletes are particularly at risk due to the potential for exercise to act as a trigger in individuals with an underlying cardiac abnormality, UMACCC felt this commendable cause was very relevant to the club.

The original plan was for club volunteers to run consecutively for 30 minute time slots on a treadmill located outside the SU. With this plan requiring a last minute change, as a result of being supplied with a very basic and hazardous treadmill, the treadmill run was replaced with numerous, more scenic laps of the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and the library.

Helped by one unusual visitor — the sun — spirits were high as the running got underway and members engaged with the public, informing them of the transformative work of CRY, whilst collecting kind donations from passers-by.

Despite several speaker mishaps experienced throughout the day, the enthusiasm and dedication of our volunteers retained attraction to the stand. This was confirmed by the generous continual flow of pennies and pounds making their way into the collection buckets, which was very much appreciated.

With the anchor leg of the run commencing at 9.30pm on the 1st March, club members gathered in the SU bar to support our final runner, who displayed a mammoth effort in bringing the event to a close. This preceded heading back to our home turf of Fallowfield to celebrate a successful 24 hours with yet another fabulous AU social, accompanied by some well-deserved 2-4-1 cocktails at Revs.

A massive thank you to everyone who donated to this worthy cause. Our Just Giving page is still open for donations, so if you can, please help us to further smash our original £100 target.

Finally, thank you to all of our members for their combined efforts in organising and taking part in the run, despite some very unsociable time slots. Next on the agenda is the Great Manchester 10k, where UMACCC hope to continue this success in raising money to fund the admirable work of CRY.

If you are interested in screening for cardiac complications, CRY holds free screening clinics for young people between the ages of 14 and 35 at a number of locations around the UK. The test is painless and non-invasive, and involves having an Electrocardiogram (ECG) to study the electrical conduction pathways in the heart, and identify any potential cardiac abnormalities.

CRY urge anyone within the age range to be screened, with elite athletes being particularly encouraged.

You can sign up to these events online here, or alternatively if places are fully booked, a screening interest form can be completed to allow you to be notified by email when a screening in your area becomes available.