HOME care boss Danny Nichols is set to embark on his toughest running challenge in memory of a friend who shot and killed abroad.
In October 2015, Danny, who runs Mayfield Home Care in Warrington was gearing up to run his first ever marathon.
However, just a few weeks prior, his friend Luke Holland, formerly from Lymm, was tragically shot and killed in Berlin.
A few years after the tragedy Danny, from Grappenhall, Warrington, embarked on his first fundraiser for the Murdered Abroad charity and now on August 10 he is aiming to raise over £2,000 by taking part in the GB Ultras Race Across Scotland.
The 220-Mile Foot Race Across Scotland has to be completed in under 100 hours and has 7800 metres of elevation along the way.
Danny said: “I still shake my head in disbelief. Little did I know then that in April 2018, I would complete my first marathon, running alongside two friends in Luke’s honour. We decided not only to commemorate Luke’s memory but also to raise funds for a charity called ‘Murdered Abroad’.
In March 2018, we were invited to an event organised by ‘Murdered Abroad’. The directors, all of whom had lost someone at the hands of another while in a foreign country, shared their stories. I will never forget this day, I can’t even put into words what it is like to be sat in a room full of individuals who have gone through what they have. It profoundly impacted me, altering my lifestyle and mindset. From that moment on, I committed to raising as much money as possible for this incredible charity, a charity that spends every penny raised trying to help others going through the same pain that they have.
“This year, I am undertaking the challenge of a 220-mile foot race across Scotland, which has to be completed in under 100 hours, has 7800 metres of elevation along the way. It is an immensely difficult race, with only 1 in 4 participants finishing. I am under no illusion about the challenges it poses, but I am determined to succeed. Luke’s dad, Phil, will be supporting me along the way. His presence at each checkpoint will hopefully spur me on during my darkest moments. No matter how much pain I endure, it will never compare to the daily anguish Phil experiences.
“I am running not just to test my limits, but to honour Luke and support ‘Murdered Abroad’. This charity provides crucial support to families who have faced unimaginable tragedies far from home.”
Danny has set up a fundraising page and has already raised over £700 towards his target of £2,200.
Your support means the world to me, and it means even more to those who benefit from the charity’s work.
Donations can be made online via https://www.justgiving.com/page/daniel-nichols-1719497279957
Luke Holland, was aged 312 when he was sprayed with pellets from a sawn-off shotgun in the German capital by a neo-Nazi thug.
The man responsible was not named at the inquest in October 2017 but was previously identified as Rolf Z and received a sentence of 11 years and seven months.
The former Lymm high School student, who had an MBA from Oxford University and spoke fluent Japanese, had been in Germany as part of his work helping small start-up businesses with investment.
