AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth analyst Andrew Hardiman is embarking on an incredible challenge to raise money for Dorset Mind.
Hardiman, who is a lifelong Cherries fan, will complete ten marathons in ten days in order to raise money for the mental health charity.
He'd previously raised over £12,000 for Cancer Research UK after running a marathon for every goal Dominic Solanke scored in the 2020/21 season.
Hardiman unfortunately lost his father to cancer in 2020 and is raising money for Dorset Mind following the mental health journey he’s been on throughout the grieving process.
Speaking to afcb.co.uk ahead of the challenge, he explained: ‘I’ll be running from St Austell back to Bournemouth, it works out at 270 miles which is the equivalent of roughly ten marathons in ten days.
“This one is a continuation on my previous challenge. I obviously struggled with the grief and the loss of Dad so it’s to raise money and awareness of Dorset Mind and mental health, which is such an important topic.
“For me, running is a big thing that helps me mentally and I thought it was important to encourage people to talk and know that organisations like Dorset Mind are there to help.
“I’ve done marathons in the past, so I know the pain of a marathon, but ten back-to-back is something that I don’t think anyone can really train for. It’s unpredictable but I know it’s going to challenge me physically; I know it’s going to challenge me mentally but that’s what I wanted.
“The support has been massive. With my last challenge, the club and the fans really got behind me. It’s what the club is about, the community coming together to support me through my difficult times, and it really helped me get through this period.
“The support from those I know, and thousands who I didn’t know, was incredible. I know it’ll be the same for this one and I’m incredibly grateful.”
Hardiman begins his challenge on Thursday and supporters can donate here.
