Last month we introduced you to Zachary Knight, a twelve-year-old boy from Smallfield who is undertaking a monumental fundraising challenge. Between 1 January and 22 June, Zac is running a mile a day in order to raise money for St Piers School and College in Lingfield, who help children and young adults with special needs or disabilities like epilepsy, which Zac was diagnosed with at the age of eight.
He will be running 172 miles, which equates to one mile for every student at St Piers, as well as completing a half-marathon on 12 July. He wears the name of the pupil he is running for each day on his shirt.
In April, Zac had the ‘incredible’ opportunity to visit the students and teachers at St Piers. He describes meeting them as the main highlight of his challenge so far:
“I loved seeing the environment that the students get to enjoy at St Piers. The students were all so friendly and kind. It was lovely to get to meet them.They are the whole reason I am doing what I am doing. All I have to do is think of them, and that gives me all the motivation that I will ever need.”
While there is much to celebrate, the challenge hasn’t been without its difficulties:
“We recently did a very difficult run for a young boy who sadly passed away at Christmas,” says Zac. “We ran for 11 miles, because he was 11. It was a very emotional run but I felt pleased that we were able to do something special for him.”
Additionally, during the winter months, Zac would run either before or after school, often having to battle through the dark, and torrential rain. He describes a moment when he was out running with his dad James, and they came across a section of their usual route which was flooded:
“To avoid the flooded part, we had to jump over a stream but I got it wrong and fell in! Of course, my dad got a photo.”
Now summer is approaching, and with lighter evenings and improving weather, completing the rest of the challenge will hopefully be easier for Zac.
His commitment to running and his compassion towards the St Piers students have not gone unnoticed. Since we reported on his fundraising endeavours last month, Zac has raised an additional £6,000, taking his total to £16,250 at the time of printing. All money raised will be going to Young Epilepsy, the charity who run St Piers.
Help Zac raise even more, by donating here. You can also follow his progress on Instagram.
