Forty-five festive 5km runs in fancy dress lay ahead for a kind-hearted King’s Lynn athlete in his bid to raise funds for Caring Together Charity.
Matty Parker has set himself an incredible Christmas challenge with his Caring Together December Dashes campaign.
He plans to complete an astounding 45 5km runs throughout next month while wearing a different colourful costume for each stage!
“I started doing this type of thing a couple of years ago, but I wanted to make it bigger and I’ve just gone crazy this year!”, said Matty, whose wife Kathryn is assistant manager at Caring Together Charity’s soon-to-open shop in King’s Lynn High Street.
A member of Ryston Runners, Matty is certainly prepared for his mission, having run 5km every day in 2026, albeit in regular athletic attire.
He said: “I’d set myself that challenge, so I’ve already run about 1,300 miles this year and I’m knackered!
“But I know when I’m out running in my fancy dress, it puts a smile on people’s faces.
“So as well as raising funds for Caring Together, I hope I can help raise awareness of the great work they do supporting unpaid carers when people see me doing my December Dashes!”
Matty aims to call on his many friends from local athletics clubs to partner him for each of his runs.
And with Caring Together Charity’s St Ives and Swaffham offices on his list of starting points, he hopes their staff members will join him for a jog!
His most gruelling day looks set to be Zig Zag Running’s Bauble Bimble at Ferry Meadows in Peterborough where he intends to do five circuits of the 5km course – changing outfit at the end of each loop!
It will all be rounded off with Marham Flyers’ 10km race at RAF Marham on New Year’s Eve.
Caring Together Charity Senior Fundraising Manager Laura Price said: “We are incredibly grateful to Matty for taking on such a fantastic and fun challenge in support of our charity.
“Taking on 45 5km runs in a month is an amazing achievement in itself, but doing it all while dressed in fancy dress makes the effort even more extraordinary!
“Matty’s dedication with his December Dashes will make a real difference for unpaid carers. We can’t thank him enough for going the extra mile!”
