Two University of Salford journalism alumni are preparing to run 124 miles from Salford in Oxfordshire to Salford in Greater Manchester in memory of a close friend and fellow course mate.
Alfie Mulligan, 22, now web content editor at Salford Now, and Harry Warner, 23, will take on the two-day ultramarathon on 17 and 18 May to raise funds for mental health charity Mind, following the death of their friend Daniel Sugrue in July 2024.
Sugrue, a fellow journalism student, died at the age of 20. The challenge aims to raise more than £2,500 for Mind, which has supported the duo in the aftermath of their friend’s death.
“It was a massive moment for us to lose someone that we both knew, that went to university with us and who were quite close friends with,” said Mulligan. “It really did impact us and we thought that we just had to do something to give back. You’re always going to feel that you didn’t do enough and so we thought about a challenge to raise some money and awareness about mental health and the work that Mind does. This felt like the best way for us to do something good.”
The pair plan to run the distance in six 20-mile stints across two days. It’s not their first endurance challenge – they previously ran the length of Luxembourg in a day and completed a full run around the Salford boundary earlier this year.
“Running has become a way for me and Harry to deal with our problems,” Mulligan added. “We go out and just talk and reflect on things in our lives… I believe that people struggle to talk about their mental health quite a lot. But running has certainly helped me open up.”
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Remembering Sugrue, he said: “Daniel was always someone who made me feel better, who saw the good in people and was the happiest person in the room. He was someone that always made me feel happy and wanted. If I ever had a problem, he was the person I’d talk to and there’s never going to be another one of him.”
The duo are training to run at a slower pace and plan to offer additional ways for supporters to get involved. Mulligan has pledged to donate £5 for every call he receives on the second day of the run, sharing his number publicly to encourage motivation. They will also donate 10% of the total funds raised to Salford University Boat Club, which both were part of during their studies.
Mulligan plans to mark the effort with a tattoo of the route – a tradition following tattoos for their previous challenges.
To support the challenge, visit their JustGiving page.
