A man who used to weigh 16 stones and smoked 20 cigarettes a day will be running seven half marathons in seven consecutive days!

Abbey Mulla, 48, will start the challenge on May 20 to help projects in Ghana. He has already run 600 miles in preparation for the challenge and is hoping to raise £2,000.

His chosen charity supports, protects and empowers vulnerable West African children and their families and aims to reduce child poverty and improve access to education for underprivileged children.

Training for a marathon is a long-term grueling commitment, one which has seen Abbey lose a whopping 30lbs over the course of 135 days.

Abbey, who says he previously faced significant health challenges, now hopes his change in lifestyle can inspire others. 

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“In 2009, I was about to turn 40 and I was obese. I weighed 16 and a half stones and I smoked 20 cigarettes a day.

“In the space of 12 months I quit smoking and I lost 4 and a half stones in weight through taking up regular exercise and adopting a healthier diet and since then my life has completely changed.”

Abbey has taken his personal experience and turned it into an award winning weight loss programme that was delivered by Blackburn with Darwen Healthy Living, of which he is the Chief Officer. 

“Over 40 people benefited from this programme and for most of them it also transformed their lives.”

Abbey’s new regime has seen him complete half marathons last year in four consecutive weekends which raised £507 for Partner West Africa.

He has spent over four months preparing for his upcoming challenge. Training entails a strict diet and a rigorous fitness regime which has included 99 individual runs.

“I will be running a total of 91.7 miles for the seven half marathons starting on 20 May. 

“I want to show people that you can achieve anything you put your mind to as long as you are committed and motivated.”

To make a donation you can visit Abbey’s JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Abbey-Mulla3 or you can make cash donations at Bangor Street Community Centre, Blackburn.