Hastings man to run 156 miles in memory of his grandfather

Jaguar Barone, who only started running about six months ago, will take part in two ultra marathons over the next month.

The first is the Butcombe Ultra this Saturday, which involves running 56 miles through the Mendip Hills in Somerset – a feat he hopes to accomplish within 16 hours.

Three weeks later, on May 18, he will run 100 miles in the Westcountry Ultra 100 in Taunton, a challenge that could take up to 31 hours without sleep.

The 20-year-old who works at the Tesco in Hollington said: “I’m excited but I’m definitely anxious, it’s such a long distance.”

He will be raising money for the British Heart Foundation after his grandfather died from a heart attack seven years ago.

But Jaguar is also offering people who donate to his fundraiser the opportunity to have the name of any loved ones lost to heart disease printed on the shirt he will wear for the Westcountry Ultra.

He said: “I don’t want this fundraiser to just be about me and my story.

“I know there are other families who have lost a loved relative, so I wanted to find a way to allow them to be part of this.”

The former powerlifter, who broke three south-east records in the under-18 category before quitting due to an injury, is no stranger to a challenge and said running the ultra-marathons would be a matter of ‘mental toughness’.

“It’s a mental game,” he said. “Your mind will give up long before your legs will.

“You have to have a reason why you’re doing it – you have to have that in your mind.”

Jaguar will be spurred on by the memory of his grandfather, who he remembers as a hardworking man.

On his fundraising page, he wrote: “I grew up without a father, so my grandad was the first father figure I had.

“He loved me as much as he loved his own children.

“When I got the news that he’d passed on, it felt as if a part of me left with him.

“My grandfather was always a hardworker, and he taught me to do the same.

“He showed me how to be a man, how to be respectful.”

He hopes the funds towards research at the British Heart Foundation will help prevent others from losing their loved ones through heart disease.

To donate to his cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jaguarbarone

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Hastings man to run 156 miles in memory of his grandfather – and your lost loved ones too