Team update: Our MD, Chris Reah completed three charity marathons in three weeks!

April was an exhilarating, rewarding and exhausting month for our MD, Chris Reah, who achieved the incredible feat of completing three marathons in three consecutive weekends.

Not only was this ‘three in three’ a huge personal win for Chris, but it also raised valuable funds for a charity that’s extremely close to his heart and the rest of his running team: the MND Association.

Keep reading to learn more.

What is the MND Association?

The MND Association provides vital support to people with motor neurone disease (MND) and their loved ones.

MND affects the nerves (motor neurones) in the brain and spinal cord, which help tell the muscles what to do. That’s why people with the disease often experience difficulties with walking, talking, eating, drinking, and even breathing. MND is life-shortening, and there is no cure.

The MND Association does vital work campaigning for better care and funding research aimed at improving the lives of those affected by MND.

Raising awareness through national campaigns and supporting people like Chris in their fundraising efforts are an important part of what they do.

Why Chris and his team chose to support the MND Association

Three years ago, one of Chris’s oldest and closest friends, Phil, lost his business partner to MND.

Having seen the impact of this terrible disease first-hand and losing someone so young, Chris and Phil felt compelled to take action and help others affected by MND.

Chris said, “MND is a really ugly, horrible condition that completely steals your life away from you. Phil was really affected by what happened to his friend, so we were pretty determined to go and raise money for the charity.”

However, marathon running wasn’t Chris’s first choice of fundraising activity.

He’d been a keen rugby player when he was younger and then got into cycling. However, having got itchy feet after the post-Covid lockdown period in 2021, he was persuaded to run a marathon for charity. “It was so unpleasant, I vowed I’d never do another one!”

But when Phil called and asked him to join his team in running a marathon for the MND Association in 2023, he said yes. They ran the Leeds marathon that year, and in 2024, they ran both the Leeds and London marathons.

Over the past three years, they’ve raised around £180,000 for the MND Association by running marathons with a wider team of friends, family members and colleagues from Phil’s business, Cedar Capital Partners. They also hosted a post-marathon charity dinner last year, and it was such a success, they’re repeating the event on 21 May.

Chris’s marathon challenge: A trio of races in Milan, Manchester and London

“Since we started running marathons for the charity in 2023, we’ve tried to up the bar each year. If you’re going back to people asking for sponsorship time and again, there needs to be a new, bigger challenge on the table”, Chris said.

That’s where the ‘three in three’ idea came from.

After a bit of research, the team settled on running:

• The Milan Marathon on 12 April
• The Manchester Marathon on 19 April
• The London Marathon on 26 April.

We had a mix of people joining each event. In Manchester, we were a team of 10, but only three of us completed all three races.

Chris said: “We couldn’t have done this without the kindness and generosity of friends, family and colleagues in the hospitality industry in which Cedar Capital Partners operates. The charity’s support over the years has been crucial too.

“The MND Association is very hands-on, and it’s played a key role in helping us achieve our fundraising goals. They’re great people, and they’re obviously grateful for what we’ve done. They’re also lovely to work with, and they’re massively supportive of people like us who are trying to do things to raise awareness and money.”

Watch this space for updates on the team’s next fundraising events

Chris and his team have yet to choose their 2027 marathon challenge, but there will certainly be one.

“Life is predominantly about finding purpose. One of the most fulfilling ways you can do this is by identifying something to give yourself to that is bigger than you.

“Getting to know the MND Association has been the perfect way to express this. They are an amazing charity, providing light and making the most of every moment in the context of this horrible, incurable disease that strips light and life from its sufferers.

“To have been able to channel others’ generosity towards this cause is one of the accomplishments I am most proud of.”