A STUDENT from Colwyn Bay raised thousands of pounds for charity by completing a gruelling 100k ultra-marathon challenge around the Eirias Park athletics track last week.

Oshi Adey, 18, who is currently at Warwick University studying politics, philosophy, and economics, received numerous deserved plaudits, for his brave efforts on February 17.

He first began his extraordinary fundraising challenge for the Kitchen Table Charities Trust (KTCT), at 7am, and included running 250 laps of the track for nearly 10 hours, pushing him close to his mental and physical limits.

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Fortunately, Oshi was well-supported by family, friends, and members of many running groups, plus some individuals, who joined him at times for several laps around the 400m track and provided welcome support and encouragement.

The initial idea to fundraise for a very good cause probably came about following the example set by his grandfather, John Humphrys, the journalist, and former BBC newscaster, foreign correspondent, and ex-Mastermind host, who set-up the Kitchen Table Charities Trust (KTCT).

This organisation provides grants to support tiny charities, or projects in dirt-poor villages, mostly in sub-Saharan African countries like Tanzania, and they also help to build and run schools and clinics and provide clean water.

Oshi decided to launch a GoFundMe page to tell everyone about his ambition to complete this 100k ultra-charity attempt, and set a limited target of just £2,000, confirming his age, and his plan to run this distance, which is the equivalent of 2.37 consecutive marathons around a 400m track in his hometown.

And, at the time of writing, his page showed that £2,415 has been raised, with an extra bonus noted that his grandfather has also agreed to match the final sum with a private contribution.

Oshi however, remains very modest about his amazing fundraising efforts for this very worthy cause, and told of his unique experience.

He said: “Having completed a marathon in my training, this ultra-run was comfortable up until the halfway point.

“I chose to complete the 100km around the athletics track at Eirias Park, at Colwyn Bay, to increase the mental side of the challenge.

“The monotony of the 400m course however, started to take its toll on me about the 70km mark, where mentally I was feeling low, but having support from other runners including members of the Black Cloak Runners, the Gog Triathlon club, and many others, who all came down to support me, which made a massive difference.

“I'd say the toughest part of this challenge was my mental strength rather than physical! And all in all, it was an incredible day. I'm happy with what I achieved

“Now this challenge is over, I’m looking for my next. I think a 100-miler is calling my name!”

Oshi’s 100k ultra-run finally ended at 5.30pm, and Helen Hannam, who is a friend and supporter of the young runner, said he sometimes ran clockwise for 10k, then he turned around, and ran anti-clockwise for another 10k, so that he wasn't going in the same direction all the time.

Oshi’s mother, Catherine Humphrys, said her son had only taken up running during the first period of lockdown as a way to help clear his head.

She added: “He has raised over £2k so far, and his grandfather – my dad – has pledged to match his donations.

“My father John Humphrys set up this charity after years of working in Africa as a foreign correspondent for the BBC.

“It’s an incredible set-up because they have no paid staff, no offices etc, so 100 per cent of the money raised goes directly to the people who need it.

“Oshi's efforts will be able to fund something incredible and it will make a huge difference to the lives of great many people.”