Ultrarunner completes 900-mile run from John O'Groats to Land's End for lung disease charity
Nick Ashill says the challenge was about raising awareness as much as money.
An ultrarunner has completed a nine-hundred mile challenge from John O'Groats to Land's End, aiming to raise awareness of a lung condition that claimed his mother's life.
Nick Ashill finished the run in Cornwall after 28 days on the road, having set off from the northernmost tip of Scotland in difficult weather conditions.
"It feels pretty special," Ashill said at the finish line.
"28 days on the road and I finally made it. I remember that first day of driving rain, howling wind at John O'Groats, but look at the beautiful skies of Land's End today.
"It's fantastic finally being here."
He said the total distance covered was more than 960 miles.
Mr Ashill took on the challenge in memory of his mother, who lost her life to the condition.
"My mum passed away from pulmonary fibrosis in 2015, and I linked up not long after with Peter Bryce from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust - an awesome charity that provide emotional and practical support for people living with PF," he said.
Peter Bryce, chairman of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust, said the condition is a progressive lung disease with no cure.
"Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease that has no cure," he said.
"Around about seventy thousand plus people affected in the UK and life expectancy is just over three years. There is nothing that can stop that from happening. As the fibrosis progresses through your lungs, you suffocate into death."
Mr Bryce said the illness remains poorly understood and underfunded.
"It's a dreadful illness and unfortunately not many people know about this and not very little is done about it in terms of research, which is extremely frustrating," he said.
Mr Ashill said raising money was only part of what he wanted to achieve with the run.
"I'm on a journey to support the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust - not just more awareness - but to send a very important message to the politicians of this country to talk and understand about pulmonary fibrosis a lot more and get it on the national agenda and get the funding, the health funding that it really deserves," he said.
This is not Mr Ashill's first long-distance run. Mr Bryce said his determination to complete the run is testament to his commitment - and spoke of how he has overcome serious setbacks during previous challenges.
"I'm on a journey to support the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust"
"Nick is incredible," Mr Bryce said. "He's already run across America where he was knocked down deliberately. They found him, they saved his life. He was in hospital for several months and about sixteen operations.
"They said he'd never walk again - but against all odds, he went back to America five years later and finished his run from the exact spot he was knocked down. And now he's completing John O'Groats to Land's End!
"The man's a legend and we can't thank him enough for helping to raise awareness of this dreadful illness."
For Mr Bryce, the awareness the challenge has generated matters more than the fundraising total.
"Raising awareness to me is more important than actual money, strangely enough, because so many people never heard of it," he said.
"That's an obstacle that we need to overcome."
Asked what kept him going over nearly a month of running, Mr Ashill said it was mostly mental.
"It's mindset," he said.
"The body is capable of doing a lot more than the mind thinks sometimes, and it's just one foot in front of the other.
"Every step that I take means one step closer to the final destination. Some days are hard, some days are easy, but you just keep moving forward."
Mr Ashill, who has completed long-distance runs across America and Australia in the past, said this challenge had been the toughest on his body, despite being shorter than those previous runs.
"Nobody believes me, but this is the last cross country run I'll continue to run," he saidd.
"If I compare it with America and Australia, which were considerably longer, this has definitely been the most difficult, most challenging in terms of the effects on the body - but I am a little bit older."
He credited his support crew with getting him to the finish line.
"Without the people standing behind you now that have got me to the finishing line, I would have never have started," he said.
"Huge shout out to everybody that's put this project together. It's not just about one person. It's about a complete team."
Asked about his favourite moment from the run, Ashill said it was time spent with his support team rather than the running itself.
"Sitting down with Paul, Phil, Julian, Peter - all of those people as part of the support crew every night," he said.
"Talking about not just my day, but how their days went as well, over a meal and sharing some of the highs and lows - great memories."
As he crossed the finish line, a final donation of £1,000 pushed the total to £50,000.
All funds raised will go to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust,
For Mr Bryce, the awareness the challenge has generated matters more than the fundraising total.