Bude lifeguard Charlie Barnett takes on 25-hour run challenge

Most people would call a single 5km a decent morning’s work. Charlie Barnett is planning to do it 25 times in a row, once an hour, without stopping the clock. The senior RNLI lifeguard from Bude is spending a full day and night on the move this September to raise money for the town’s lifeguards, and to mark 25 years of the RNLI patrolling Britain’s beaches.

25 hours, 25 runs, 5km on the hour

The maths is brutally simple. Charlie will run 5km every hour, on the hour, for 25 consecutive hours. That adds up to 125km, roughly the distance from Bude to Plymouth and back on the map, packed into a single relentless cycle of run, rest, repeat.

The 25 was chosen for a reason. This year the RNLI marks a quarter of a century of its lifeguard service, and Charlie wanted a challenge that matched the milestone. Twenty-five years, 25 hours, 25 runs.

From a 100km coast path run to this

Regulars on Bude’s beaches will already know the sight of Charlie out running, either along the sand or up on the coastal paths that climb away from the town. Last year he completed a 100km non-stop run along the South West Coast Path, so the appetite for long, punishing distances is nothing new.

Charlie has been a senior lifeguard in Bude for four years. To get ready for the 25-hour effort he has been putting in hours at the gym and running around 80km a week. Bude RNLI Lifeguards said the dedication and determination he has shown have been nothing short of incredible, and the team plan to share updates on his training in the run-up to the big day.

How to support Charlie

The official date is still to be confirmed, with the lifeguards promising to announce it soon, so the best way to follow the countdown is to keep an eye on the Bude RNLI Lifeguards page. Every donation, whatever the size, goes towards keeping the town’s beaches safe.

Anyone wanting to back the challenge can donate through Charlie’s JustGiving page.

📷Credit: Bude RNLI Lifeguards