A boxer from a Swansea city-centre gym is running the entire border of Wales in memory of his grandfather, who died from a brain tumour.
Ewan Rees, who trains at DJ Boxing Gym on Oxford Street, set off from Swansea on 3 June, aiming to run the full Welsh coastline and English border before looping back to the city.
The army reservist is covering around 15 miles a day, with the whole challenge expected to take about two months.
It involves just over 100,000 feet of climbing along the way — the equivalent of going up Everest three times.
Ewan is raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of his Bampa, Wynford Bater, who died in 2020.
“Losing my Bampa is something that has stayed with me, and this challenge is my way of turning that loss into something positive,” he said.
“He was a very smart man, and after he was diagnosed in January 2020, it was tough to watch him slowly deteriorating.”
Ewan said he took up sport, and boxing, after his grandfather’s death.
“I was actually quite overweight when he was around. I think he’d be very proud of me for doing this, although he’d probably also tell me I was mad,” he said.
“Every mile I run is for him, and every donation will go towards supporting The Brain Tumour Charity and the vital work they do in research, support and awareness.”
The run has not been without setbacks. Heavy rain on the very first day left Ewan with foot problems that have only started to heal two weeks in.
“My body has started to adapt to the challenge,” he said. “My feet and toes have begun to callous, my shoulders are slowly growing and getting used to the weight. My legs are recovering faster, however my knees struggle on the downhills.”
Despite the early injuries, he is close to completing 250 miles and now hopes to push on and finish ahead of schedule.
Fundraising has gone better than he dared hope, with Ewan already tripling his original £1,000 target.
“A huge thank you to everyone who has donated. The support from the public has been amazing,” he said.
“Keeping me going is my faith and trust in God, which is helping me find a strength I never knew I had.”
He said his family and girlfriend had been meeting him on rest days to bring supplies and lift his spirits, with messages of encouragement arriving from friends and strangers alike.
“The stand-out moments for me so far have been meeting people who have been affected by brain tumours, and seeing how much joy it brings them seeing someone raising money for the charity,” he said.
Stacey Vincent, from the charity’s community fundraising team, met Ewan in Chepstow on day eight of his run.
“A huge thank you to Ewan for his dedication in taking on this gruelling challenge. What he is doing is so inspiring,” she said.
The charity says 35 people in the UK are told they have a brain tumour every day, and that survival rates have not improved in 40 years.
Others taking on challenges for the same cause include a Llansamlet woman who ran 100km in memory of a childhood friend, and a Swansea TV personality who climbed Yr Wyddfa in memory of his grandfather.
Ewan’s fundraising page is at justgiving.com/page/welsh-border-run, and he is documenting the run on Instagram at @ewanjohnrees.
