Meet the spritely 78-year old Mirfield monk who is doing a sponsored 10k run

The spritely 78-year-old will be running from his Mirfield base, on Stocks Bank Road, to Deighton and back on Saturday, November 12, while hoping to raise money for Tariro UK.

The charity, founded by Fr Nicolas Stebbing, aims to bring hope and happiness to young people in Zimbabwe.

And Fr John, who is looking to raise around £10,000 for the charity, has revealed he has been training daily for his run and is aiming to complete it in just over 60 minutes.

He said: “I took up running when I was 50. For most years of my life I ran on my own, as I was a bit shy that other people could see me running but I do the Huddersfield Parkrun most weeks.

“I have taken up competition running and won several gold medals – in my age group of course!

"It is tremendous fun. The camaraderie in it is great. I have had a lot of enjoyment out of it in my declining years!

"My hope is to raise £10,000.

“The parkrun is 5k, so 10k is going to be a challenge. The competition running is sprinting, which I enjoy better than long distance because it’s over quicker!

“I do try to run every day, just for the fun of it.

"There was one day in the house here, it was early in the morning, we start the day with a service at 6.45am. I was up early and I thought I’d just see what a run around the ground looked like.

“It was about half a mile! I nearly collapsed!

"From there, it seemed like a challenge and how far I could push myself.

“My personal best at a 5k was 26 minutes, so I am expecting to finish in just over an hour!

"I’ll be disappointed if it’s much more than that, although I will be satisfied to finish!

“I know I can do it because I ran the route a few days ago. But I had my Covid injection yesterday so I don’t feel like doing it today!

“I am just thankful and grateful to those who have already supported me and donated.”

You can donate by visiting cafonline.org