20 Jan 2026 Community

Sam Wilby set to take on 21 half marathons in 21 days for The Kirkwood

At just 25 years old, Sam Wilby from Gomersal is preparing to push himself to the absolute limit running 21 half marathons in 21 days to raise vital funds for The Kirkwood.

Inspired by personal connections to the hospice and the powerful impact it has had on families close to him, Sam’s challenge is about far more than clocking up miles. It’s a huge test of endurance, determination and heart carried out in memory of two loved ones who were cared for by The Kirkwood, and for everyone who may need its support in the future.

Sam’s connection to The Kirkwood began in 2024, when one of his good friend’s mums, Karen Teale, sadly passed away aged 56 after breast cancer. Wanting to do something positive in her memory, Sam and his friends decided to raise money for The Kirkwood and quickly threw themselves into a fundraising mission.

Sam said: “My connection to The Kirkwood started in 2024, when one of my good friend’s mums passed away and The Kirkwood cared for her. After that, we wanted to do something positive in her memory, so we took on a Liverpool Half Marathon in aid of The Kirkwood.”

The group planned the half marathon at the start of the year, giving themselves time to train and prepare for the challenge together.
“We planned the half marathon at the turn of the new year 2025, so we had a good four months of training, and we ran it around March time. There were ten lads in the group chat in total, and six of us ran, while the other four came along to support us on the day.”

For Sam, completing the run wasn’t just about the physical achievement, it was also about everything it represented: “When we finished, it was a mix of everything: relief, pride, emotion, and just that feeling of ‘we’ve actually done it’. There was definitely a bit of emotion involved, because you’re doing it for someone special and you’re thinking about why you’re there.”

He added: “My friend Connor didn’t run, but he came on the day, along with some of his other mates, and having everyone there supporting us meant a lot. Seeing all the lads together and celebrating what we’d achieved, not just for ourselves, but for Karen and for The Kirkwood, that was powerful.”

After the half marathon, Sam and his friends were determined to keep their fundraising efforts going and in August 2025, they organised a golf day in support of The Kirkwood.

“Following on from that, we also organised a golf day, and altogether we raised just over £6,000 in total.” said Sam.
“The golf day was last at Hanging Heaton Golf Club. It was organised by Graham Teale, who is Karen’s husband, and one of my really good friends, George. It brought loads of people together, and it was a brilliant day from start to finish.”

And despite not claiming to be a natural on the course, Sam said the day was all about getting involved and raising money for a great cause: “I’m not amazing at golf, I try my best! I can just about get round the course, but it’s all for taking part really,” he said.

Sadly, in 2025 Sam’s connection to The Kirkwood became personal once again when his girlfriend’s godfather, Michael Hey, passed away aged 66: “He was also supported by The Kirkwood, so it made everything feel even more personal again.”

Now, as he gets ready for the biggest challenge of his life, Sam says he will be carrying both Karen and Michael’s names with him every step of the way: “For me, Karen and Michael are the two names I’ll be carrying with me throughout the challenge. However overall it’s bigger than that too, you’re raising money for the whole hospice. I’m doing it in their name, but also for everyone else who needs The Kirkwood.”

The idea for his latest fundraising feat came after the Liverpool Half Marathon, when the group began discussing what they could do next: “After doing the half marathon, one of the lads said in the group chat, ‘Shall we do a marathon next year for The Kirkwood?’ and for some reason I just thought, I’ve always had this idea of doing 21 half marathons in 21 days,” said Sam.

He admitted that his friends’ first reaction was disbelief but once he’d said it, there was no going back: “I mentioned it, and everyone was like, ‘That’s ridiculous, you’re stupid!’ but once I’d said it out loud, it stayed in my head,” he said. 

“Then the lads kept reminding me, ‘Do you remember when you said you were going to do it?’ and I knew I couldn’t back out. I thought if I put it on Facebook then I'd have no choice, I’ve got to do it.”

Sam says it will be incredibly tough, but his motivation is clear and he keeps picturing the moment he reaches the end: “I do want to do it, even though I know it’s going to be hard. It’ll be awful at times, and it’ll definitely push me physically and mentally, but I’m just thinking ahead to that final day. I keep imagining finishing the 21st run.” 

Balancing the challenge around everyday life will be another test in itself, but Sam is determined to make it work. He works as a greenkeeper, starting early in the day, which gives him time to run afterwards: “I’m doing it at my own pace, I know my own body, and I’m going to have to be sensible because it’s all about doing it consistently, day after day.”

To keep things manageable, Sam will be mixing up his routes and scenery, especially with the hills in his home village: “During the week I’ll be running more locally, and at weekends I’ll head down to the canals to change the scenery up a bit, because where we live there’s a lot of hills especially around Gomersal,” he said.

While he’s under no illusions about how demanding this will be, Sam has already started learning what the challenge will involve, including the importance of breaking trainers in properly.

“I’m not pretending it’s going to be easy. There’ll be bumps along the way, blisters and aches and everything that comes with it.” 
As his fundraising gathers pace, Sam has been overwhelmed by the response from the community including support from people he hasn’t spoken to in years: “What’s been really nice is the support I’ve had from people. I’ve had messages from people saying they’d like to join me for one run, or a couple of runs, and that would be brilliant, because it helps having someone with you.”

He added: “Some people who I haven’t spoken to in ages, even people from school, have reached out. Even people I don’t really know have sent messages because they’ve heard about it through friends or family, and it shows how many people have been affected by The Kirkwood.”
Sam believes The Kirkwood’s care is something truly special and he hopes his challenge will help ensure it can continue to be there for local people when they need it most: “I think The Kirkwood is massively important. I don’t believe there are many places like it, not just locally but across the UK, the fact it’s free for patients is massive,” he added. “If you went somewhere private for that kind of care, you’d be paying so much money. Knowing your loved ones are in safe hands, and knowing that this support is there when you need it, that means everything.”

Last year’s fundraising total has stayed with Sam, because he knows how important every pound is in supporting patient care: “Knowing we raised over £6,000 last year does make you feel proud, because you know it genuinely helps. Every donation, every pound, it all adds up.”
As he looks ahead, Sam admits there are parts of the challenge he’s not exactly looking forward to, but he’s ready to face it head on: “I do like giving myself a challenge, so in a strange way I’m looking forward to it a little bit, but I’m definitely dreading the second week. I think that’s going to be the hardest part. The first week I’m just going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. The second week, I’ll probably be thinking, ‘Oh God, I’m still going!’”

Sam has already started mapping out his routes and putting a plan in place to keep himself organised for each day: “I’ve started mapping out all the routes already so I’m organised. I’ve got them all on my phone, the date, the route, and whether someone’s joining me or not. During the week I’ll end up doing a few of them on my own.” 

In terms of pace, Sam is planning to slow things down and focus on consistency across the full 21 days: “In Liverpool I did the half in about an hour and fifty minutes, but for this challenge I’ll definitely be going slower because it’s about longevity. I’m expecting each run will take somewhere between two and three hours, and ideally about two and a half hours on average, which over 21 days will still be a huge effort.”

And finally, Sam had one clear message for everyone who has supported him already and anyone considering donating: “I just want to say thank you, honestly. Every like, every share, every message, and every donation no matter the size. It's massively appreciated. It’s all going to a great cause, so just keep them coming. It really does mean a lot.”

Click the link HERE to donate.