Greenfield man completes 200-mile non-stop GM Ringway challenge

Ultra-runner Colin Green, who is 53 and from Greenfield, has become the first person to run the entire 200 miles of the GM Ringway, Greater Manchester’s walking trail, all in one go.

The neuro-physiotherapist who helps people living with brain injury or conditions like Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis at his Oldham practice, Physio Matters Neurological, is raising money for a charity called Day One Trauma Support which supports survivors of major traumatic injuries.

Colin set off at 8am on Friday, May 3 from Greenfield station, which is the start of Stage 8 of the GM Ringway trail and only 400 metres from his house. 

His wife, Jane, acted as his support crew, helping him switch from his day pack to his night pack and kept him supplied with dehydrated meals, sugary and salty snacks, gels and drinks.

In order to complete the challenge Colin only slept for eight hours in total, two on the first night near Bromley Cross in Bolton, three and a half on the Saturday night near Irlam in Salford and two and a half in Poynton on the Sunday. 

Colin finally made it back to Greenfield Station at 8.12pm on Monday evening on May 6.

To achieve this, he had run anti-clockwise through all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester in just 84 hours and 12 minutes.

Colin, who has completed other ultra challeenges including the 268-mile Spine Race along the Pennine Way, the 215-mile Race Across Scotland twice and the 200-mile Ultra Great Britain, said: “The pace was slow, which was key to me completing this, and I often walked up and down hills.

"And I even managed to stop at a few cafes along the way. 

"It was a long, lonely slog at times.

"I did have friends meet me at some of the stages, which gave me a real boost.

“The GM Ringway is still a new walking trail so nobody had tackled the whole thing non-stop before, so I wanted to give it a go and it’s great to be the first. 

"I hope others will now try and beat my time.

“The last stage from Broadbottom to Greenfield was the hardest. 

"You go to the Chew Valley reservoir then drop down to Chew Plantation before ending up near the squash club and back to Greenfield station and then I went straight to bed.

"I was lucky that the temperature was fairly mild for the time of year.

"The weather was mainly fine and not too hot.

"It rained heavily on the Friday night and Monday evening but at least that kept me cool.

"My feet are very sore and I struggled with pain in my ankles, but I’m now planning to do the Spine Race again in a few weeks’ time.” 

Andrew Read, GM Ringway Project Lead, said: “We designed this trail to help promote the joys of nature to local people, manly expecting people to walk the trail. 

"What Colin has achieved is very impressive.

"The stages vary in difficulty, with some easily accessible and fairly flat, and others hillier and more challenging.

"The landscape is surprisingly varied, meaning that no two stages are the same. 

"Some can be tough to walk, let alone run, so hats off to Colin and any other ultra-runners who take this on.”

The GM Ringway project is led by two charities – CPRE, the countryside charity, The Ramblers, (Greater Manchester and High Peak Area) – and is supported by a £250,000 Heritage Fund grant.

In addition, the project has received a £2,000 grant from Ramble Worldwide Outdoor and £10,000 from TfGM’s Cycle and Stride for Active Lives initiative.

Go Jauntly – a free walking and wellness app – guides users along on the 20 stages of the trail, using pictures and route maps.

The app also includes ten shorter circular GM Ringway ‘short adventures’, including several step-free routes, enabling everyone to sample the trail.

For more information and news on the GM Ringway, including route maps, visit: GMRingway.org

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.