North East runner to tackle 73-mile Metro ultra-marathon for children’s charity

A North East charity fundraiser is preparing to take on a gruelling endurance challenge by attempting to run the entire Tyne and Wear Metro network within a single day.

Paul McDougal, from Cramlington in Northumberland, is set to tackle a 73.5-mile ultra-marathon that mirrors the full length of the Metro system. The 35-year-old is raising money for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa), a UK charity that supports young people living with the impact of parental alcohol addiction.

The challenge is deeply personal for Paul, whose mother Sarah struggled with alcoholism during his childhood. He hopes the run will both raise funds for Nacoa’s free helpline and help increase awareness of the charity’s work.

Taking place over the weekend of 7–8 February, the run will follow the Metro’s Yellow and Green lines as closely as possible. Paul plans to travel between all 60 stations using the fastest available routes via public roads and footpaths, aiming to complete the distance within 24 hours.

The route will finish at St James Metro station in Newcastle city centre. A lifelong Newcastle United supporter, Paul plans to complete the run wearing a black and white shirt. Although he is a keen runner, he admits the scale of the challenge is unlike anything he has attempted before.

Paul, a travel writer who is usually based in Vietnam, said:

“This is the biggest and most extreme running challenge that I’ve ever undertaken. I’ve been training hard for it. I’m a keen runner but not really an ultra-marathon runner. I’m nervous about the size of the task, but I’m determined to test myself. I’m confident that I can cover the whole Metro route in under 24 hours. The Metro map is so familiar, it’s what gave me the idea for the run, and I know that a few other runners have done it in recent years. The issues I’ll face are going to be fatigue, the risk of injury, bad weather, and the fact that the first eleven hours of the run will be happening in darkness. It’s a test of endurance but bring it on. My chosen charity is very personal to me as my own mother was an alcoholic when I was growing up. It was a chaotic life. A lot of children live like this and often have very few people that they can turn to. This is why I’m supporting Nacoa – raising money for their free helpline for children affected by their parent’s drinking, and also helping to raise awareness of what they do. I’m hoping to raise as much money as I can. The more I can publicise the cause, the more we can get away from the shame and stigma there can be about alcohol addiction.”

Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said:

“Paul is taking on a truly epic running challenge. We would like to wish him the best of luck. To cover the full Metro route length in just 24 hours is a big test of endurance. We’ll be cheering him on every step of the way. It’s a worthy cause that he is supporting and one that’s close to his own heart. All of the run is taking place on the quickest routes adjacent to our lines, so none of it will actually be taking place on the actual Metro tracks themselves.”

Image: Nexus