A teacher is setting himself the challenge of running the distance of nine bus routes to raise money for a mental health charity.
Jimmy Seymour will run 200km over the course of September and October in aid of Mind and has set his target at £500.
The 34-year-old was inspired while out running in Wymondham to take on the distance of each of the Norwich Bus network.
The network is made up of nine lines that link the major towns and villages surrounding Norwich.
He will begin with the blue line, which travels between the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Carrow Road, on September 6, which measures 10km in distance.
The yellow line, which is the distance of running a marathon, will be the final challenge seeing Mr Seymour run from Fakenham to Norwich.
He plans to cycle each line to help familiarise himself with the route before each run.
Mr Seymour, who lives in Wymondham, said: “I was running in Wymondham, I saw a bus on the pink line and I thought ‘maybe I could run that’ and looked at doing all the bus routes for charity.
“The shortest distance is 10km to the yellow line which is basically a marathon.”
Mr Seymour, who is a science teacher at Attleborough Academy, said he wanted to support Mind due to the impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on people’s mental health.
He said; “More people, of all ages, will be suffering from the often hidden effects of mental health issues and I firmly believe in the impact that physical activity has on our mental well-being by doing a physical challenge.
“I hope it helps to raise the awareness of the positive effects of exercise on our mental health, particularly during the unusual times we currently find ourselves in.”
The teacher aims to complete one route every weekend between the start of September and end of October while balancing work and his running training.
Mr Seymour said: “I was always a runner but I have run more since the lockdown, it has given me something to do.”
Mr Seymour added anyone is welcome to join him on the route at a social distance.
Visit his Just Giving page here.
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