A KNUTSFORD football coach is well on his way to completing a 1,500-mile running challenge.

Father-of-two Andy Quicke, 43, who manages Egerton Leopards under nines girls’ team, has already pounded more than two thirds of his planned route between Land’s End in Cornwall and Cape Wrath in the highlands of Scotland.

Quicke, a parent governor at his daughters’ St Vincent’s Primary School, is tackling mostly off-road and challenging terrain in various ‘legs’ and, with his mother suffering from dementia, is raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society while doing so.

The former Knutsford Tri Club member, who works for Handelsbanken in financial crime prevention, is no stranger to taking on endurance challenges, fitting them in around his job and busy family life.

Four years ago he completed the Bob Graham Round, the 66 mile, 27,000 feet circuit of 42 of the highest peaks in the English Lake District within 24 hours; and he followed that up in 2019 by finishing the Paddy Buckley Round, a 100km fell running challenge in Snowdonia taking in 47 summits.

He says his current adventure involves a lot of logistical as well as physical planning.

Quicke said: “Due to the sheer distance and my daily commitments I am doing it over a series of ‘legs’.

“Each leg is proving to be a daunting undertaking in itself, but a great adventure with many tales from the trail.

“I don’t have the ability to take holidays for it, or take time off work or family, so have been mostly squeezing it into weekends and nights over an extended period of time!”

He said he always runs with a backpack with clothes, equipment, food and water to cover most eventualities.

Quicke added: “The bulk of the remaining sections I have to run are the stages furthest from home and the most remote.

“It has been an absolutely fantastic adventure so far! I completed my latest section last weekend, 100 miles mostly along the Cornish coastline between Hartland and Porthtowan.

“It was a beautiful section but slow going with the terrain. In the main the weather was good, but there was driving rain and thunder and sideways hail – clearly sent to test my resolve – always when on exposed coastal path sections!”

Support his fund-raising bid for Alzheimer’s Society at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-quicke