Family undertakes 2.6 mile walk, every day, for 26 days

A family of three have raised almost £1,000 by setting themselves the challenge of walking 2.6 miles, every day, for 26 days.

The Norman family have been walking around their home village of Gislingham every day – come rain or shine – in an effort to raise money for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

The feat is part of the 2.6 Challenge, where participants are encouraged to take on feats centred around the numbers two and six – a nod to this year’s London Marathon, which was scheduled to take place on April 26.

Mum and dad Debbie and Jefferey, both 58, and their 16-year-old daughter Charlotte, who live in High Street, will finish the challenge on May 23, when they will have racked up an impressive 67.6 miles – which is, fittingly, 2.6 marathons.

Mr Norman, who works as an area sales manager for a giftware company and was one of the youngest runners at the second London Marathon in 1982, said: “There we were the other day, watching the news and they mentioned that a number of people who had been due to run were doing other things to raise money for charity.

“Charlotte suggested – rather sarcastically – that we should do a 2.6 Challenge – not realising for one minute that I would take it seriously, and come up with a challenge.

“We aren’t going to climb Everest, but I thought ‘what can all three of us do without killing ourselves?’

“I’ve been walking every day since I was furloughed from work, and I just thought ‘why don’t we do it as a family, every day, for charity?’”

Using a fitness tracking app, the family have mapped out half-a-dozen routes around the village, and have not missed a day since they began on April 28.

The Normans set the modest target of £260 – in keeping with the central theme of the 2.6 challenge – but have been stunned by the groundswell of support from people in the local community.

Mr Norman said: “For the sake of keeping the numbers consistent, we went for £260, but we hit that target within the first hour. It’s great, and quite surprising really.

“We do not expect to raise over £26 million like Captain Tom Moore or have a No.1 hit-single, but we do not want donations to stop and will carry on fundraising until June 30.”

To donate, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/jeff-and-charlottes-26-
challenge.