Defiant Optimism - Putney Gumps: ‘We’ve Spent 15 Years Raising Thousands Through Running'

Putney Gumps: ‘We’ve Spent 15 Years Raising Thousands Through Running'

03/06/22 • 21 min

The Putney Gumps are two friends – Johnnie Wraith and Adam Constable – in London, who have been completing various running challenges over the past 15 years to raise money for charity. They've raised more than £250,000.
In 2018, they completed 12 marathons in 12 months and raised over £76,000. Before that, they ran 126 miles over two races within a week, raising well over £36,000. They also ran the 65km Great Strides Ultra Marathon, raising over £10,000. Most recently, in 2021, the pair did 7 marathons in 7 days.
The pair raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Downs Syndrome Association. We sat down with Adam to find out more about the challenges and how the pair have carried on going all these years.
CHAPTER MARKERS:
0:22: Introduction to Adam
1:23: The beginning of our running journey
2:45: Deciding on the challenges
5:59: How they get through the challenges
8:35: 7 marathons in 7 days
11:05: Raising more than £250k
12:35: Inspiration behind the challenges
13:57: The impact of the fundraising
15:29: Advice for others
17:24: Getting through mental blocks
18:56: What’s next for the Putney Gumps
19:47: What does defiant optimism mean to you?

Find out more about them: https://www.putneygumps.co.uk/about
Donate to the Down's Syndrome Association: https://www.putneygumps.co.uk/about
Donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust: https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/

Previous Episode

Jacob Reddy: I Busked In Every Single City In England In 22 Days

16-year-old Jacob Reddy decided to use his summer holidays to busk in every city in England – all 51 of them – to raise money for a charity that looked after his brother.
He performed in all weathers, with big audiences and small ones – and managed to raise nearly £10,000 in the process.
Jacob was raising money for Derian House, a Chorley-based children’s hospice that provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions. It was the hospice where his brother, Joseph, received regular care.
Joseph contracted meningitis when he was one month old, and the infection left his brain severely damaged. Joseph would have been 21 this year, so Jacob and his family wanted to mark the occasion in a special way.
We speak to Jacob about his tour – the reaction he got, the money he raised, and how he felt.
CHAPTER MARKERS:
1.17: Why I wanted to do this challenge
2.55: Preparing for the road trip
4.00: Notable moments while busking
5.56: Inspiration behind the challenge
6.57: The impact for Derian House charity
8.00: Further fundraising after the challenge
10.02: Advice for others
14.11: The best songs of the trip
15.23: The finish line
16.27: What’s next for Jacob?
17.29: What does defiant optimism mean to you?
18.43: Where to find out more

Support the charity: https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/
Donate to Jacob's fundraising page: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/buskingjacob
Follow Jacob and his music: https://www.facebook.com/jacobreddymusic/

Next Episode

Annie Brooks: ‘I Did 12 Challenges In 12 Months To Raise Awareness Of Epilepsy’

Annie Brooks is an award-winning blogger, who has been on a mission to raise awareness of her condition. She has epilepsy in the form of complex, simple and absence seizures. She was only diagnosed in 2012 after years of unknowingly suffering – she can be wide awake, but essentially, experiencing something ridiculously scary and unable to communicate.

Before lockdown, she started doing 12 challenges in 12 months, to increase awareness of epilepsy. "My story is unique, and I hope inspirational, in that despite having a condition like this, you can still live a full active life, including doing triathlons," she says.
In this episode, she speaks about the challenges she did and which ones were the hardest, as well as why the mental challenge was sometimes more difficult than the physical ones.
CHAPTER MARKERS:
1:16: Inspiration behind the challenge
3:26: Preparation
6:03: The physical challenges that pushed me
8:51: The mental challenges to get through
11:05: Finishing the 12 in 12 challenge
13:57: Raising awareness of epilepsy
15:34: Advice for others
20:02: What does defiant optimism mean to you?
20:58: What's next for Annie?

Follow Annie's journey: https://www.talesofanniebean.com/
Support Epilepsy Society: https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/