On 31st January 2021, Noel Miles, his wife Emily and six-year-old son, Murray completed an extraordinary fundraising challenge for us, after we saved Noel’s life after a serious motorbike accident in September 2019.
The family from Chelwood Gate, Sussex took part in our Run 31 challenge but instead of completing the 31 mile challenge over 31 days in January, they undertook it in a single day, in just five hours and 20 minutes. Noel, who has life-changing injuries resulting from the accident, completed the challenge in his wheelchair, Emily ran and Murray cycled.
This was Noel’s first serious sporting endeavour since his accident, having previously taken part in over 25 marathons and six Ironman triathlons. It is also the latest in a series of incredible fundraising challenges which his son, Murray has completed for us.
In April, when he was five-years-old, Murray ran a marathon (26 miles) over five consecutive days (in five hours 31 minutes) as part of the 2.6 Challenge, and in the summer, Murray took part in a charity horse ride, completing nine miles on a pony in just under two hours. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Murray was selected as one of three finalists for the 2020 BBC Radio Sussex Make A Difference Heroes Awards in the Young Achiever of the Year category.
To date, the Miles family has raised over £10,000 for us.
Noel Miles commented, “I am hugely grateful to the KSS team who saved my life and it is really important to me to support this vital charity. To be able to undertake this Run 31 challenge with my family meant everything to me. When things were a little tough along the way, we all thought of the amazing service that KSS provides and that saw us through with smiles on our faces. I am incredibly proud of Emily and Murray for their strength, determination and resilience in completing this challenge.”
Emily Miles added, “It was a brilliant day, we are a sporty family and it felt like we were able to enjoy a glimpse of our life before Noel’s accident! We can’t believe the progress Noel has made. We’ve been so humbled by the incredible support of our friends. Completing 31 miles in a day was tough but it spurred us on knowing that we were making a difference!”
When asked ‘what was the best part of the day?’, six-year-old Murray said, “All of it! I’m very happy knowing that I’ve helped somebody in difficulty.”
Lynne Harris, our Executive Director of Income Generation added: “We are so grateful to Noel, Emily, Murray and all of our fantastic Run 31 participants for their incredible fundraising achievements, which are so very much appreciated. We are delighted that Noel is progressing so well and send him our very best wishes and sincere thanks. The whole team at KSS is completely inspired by the positivity, energy and sporting endeavours of the Miles family.”
The Miles family were amongst the 1,300 people who took part in KSS’s Run 31 in January 2021. Our fitness fundraising initiative has been so successful that we will be organising Run 31 and Squat 3100 in March 2021. Keep an eye on our website and social media for more information.
To help the Miles family raise even more funds for KSS, please click here.