A Nottinghamshire dad has completed an extraordinary running challenge to celebrate what would have been his son’s 21st birthday. Mike Rich, from West Bridgford, successfully ran 21 different parkrun courses in 21 hours and 25 minutes on Saturday (20 September), covering 105km in total.

The effort was in memory of his son Dylan, who tragically died aged 17 after suffering a cardiac arrest during an FA Youth Cup match in 2021. The challenge raised over £5,000 for The Dylan Rich Legacy charity, which supports causes close to Dylan’s heart.

Mike set off at 2.45am in Leicestershire, running courses including Braunstone, Abbey Park and Beacon Hill before joining the official 9am Rushcliffe parkrun. He then continued across Nottinghamshire, finishing late at night at Clumber Park.

“This year lots of friends and family have been taking on 21-related challenges to mark Dylan’s birthday, so I decided to go for 21 parkruns in 21 hours,” said Mike. “It was more about making it to the end than speed, but I kept a steady pace of around 30 minutes per course. Dylan probably would have thought I was a bit crazy, but I’d like to think he would have come along to run some of them with me. He’d have been supportive and proud, I’m sure.”

Mike was joined at different stages by friends and supporters. He said he hoped the effort would not only raise money but also highlight the role parkrun plays in encouraging people of all ages and abilities to be active. “It’s also 21 years since parkrun started, so it felt fitting,” he added.

If you'd like to know more, visit the The Dylan Rich Legacy website or Mike's JustGiving page.

Image: Dylan Rich Legacy Facebook