Truro Runner Takes On 5 Big Races for 4 Causes Close to His Heart

Sam from Truro has set himself a year that would make most runners wince. Five races, distances climbing from a marathon up to 120 miles, and four causes he has personal reasons to care about.

He runs as KOSS, short for King Of Slow Style, and only took up running seriously last July. The furthest he had run before this year was 21 miles, which he describes as a retiring point. He has now ticked off race one.

The races

First up was the Dartmoor Marathon on 12 April, the first time the event has been run in 30 years. Sam crossed the line in 5 hours, 41 minutes and 23 seconds. He is more of a trail runner, so a road marathon was an unusual opener.

From there the distances climb sharply. On 13 June he takes on Rat Race The Wall, 70 miles from Carlisle to Newcastle along a route shadowing Hadrian’s Wall. Six weeks later, on 25 July, he steps up to Rat Race Castle to Castle, 100 miles from Edinburgh Castle to Glamis Castle. The Forth Bridge crossing at mile 12 is the bit he is least looking forward to. He is not good with heights.

August bank holiday weekend brings the Devon and Cornwall Backyard Ultra on the 29th, a 4.1 mile loop run on the hour, every hour, until only one runner is left standing. Sam is aiming for ten hours.

The finale is Escape From Meriden, starting at 11.59pm on Friday 13 November (yes, Friday the 13th). Runners are released from Meriden, a Domesday-listed village near the centre of England, with 24 hours to cover as much ground as they can. Sam plans to run for home, hoping to reach somewhere around Weston-super-Mare. That would put him at roughly 120 miles.

The causes

The money raised is being split equally between four charities, two local and two national.

Truro-Morlaix Twinning Association (TMTA) is first on the list. The group celebrates the link between Truro and the Breton town of Morlaix, with shared Celtic roots in Cornish and Breton, and runs immersion visits in both directions through the year. Sam has been involved for five years and says they supported him through a very difficult period.

Prickles and Paws Hedgehog Rescue is the second local cause. Sam used to work with founder Katie, who has built the rescue up with her mother and recently opened a new hospital. They take in hedgehogs injured by cars, strimmers, fires and wildlife attacks, and rehabilitate them for release.

The two national charities are Mind and Dogs Trust, both with personal weight behind them. Sam lost his brother to suicide around seven and a half years ago, and is running for Mind in his memory. The Dogs Trust leg is for Toby, his beagle, who was put to sleep in December 2024 after illness. Sam will be carrying one of Toby’s old toys, a battered, tail-less little thing, with him on every race.

How to support

Sam is hoping to raise £1,000 across the year. The crowdfunder page is live and includes a launch video where he explains the challenge in his own words. He is also planning quiz nights and is folding his annual Eurovision sweepstake into the fundraising.

Donations of any size are welcome. As Sam puts it, every pound matters.

The crowdfunder is here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/kossrunning5bigraces4greatcauses