“For as long as I can, I’ll continue to support the Foundation": Anthony’s Ultra Challenge

In June, Anthony Newman pulled on his Doddie tartan shorts, grabbed his hiking poles, and took part in the inaugural North Yorkshire Ultra Challenge for us – a 100km walk along Yorkshire’s coast and moorland.

Beyond the physical challenge of a continuous 100km, his drive to fundraise stems from a personal connection to both motor neuron disease (MND), and the roots of the Foundation.

When Anthony was around 10 years old, he used to horse ride, and through that he came to know Kathy Weir (then Hutchinson) and her family well.

“I’ve known Kathy and her family for many years,” Anthony explained. “Then I was fortunate enough to meet Doddie through her when they got married.”

He fondly remembers trips to watch Doddie play for Newcastle Falcons (now Newcastle Red Bulls), including being brought upstairs to the players’ lounge after each game.

When Doddie announced his MND diagnosis, Anthony was devastated.

“My Dad had rung me to let me know,” he described, “and I just felt, oh that’s really horrible for this to happen to somebody so nice. When Doddie walked into a room you were drawn to him because of his general sense of humour and the way he was.”

Adding to this, Anthony’s own family have experienced the toll the disease takes – over 40 years ago, his father’s cousin died from MND.

“At that time, it was a very unknown disease, nobody knew anything about it,” he said. “And he just faded really quickly, his mind was still there but his body was disappearing. It stuck with me all that time, there was nothing they could do for him, nothing could have helped him. So when Doddie launched the Foundation, I just got involved.”

Anthony has since become a steadfast supporter of the Foundation, taking part in every single Doddie Aid, as well as having now completed three Ultra Challenges for us. His fundraising efforts have raised nearly £6,000 for MND research, and he is also a regular monthly donor to the Foundation.

For the North Yorkshire Ultra, Anthony was kitted out in our distinctive blue and yellow Doddie tartan, which prompted several conversations about MND along the route.

“I got so many comments from people asking me if I was doing it for Doddie. Then people started sharing their own stories because they’ve had somebody in their family who’s had MND.”

Those conversations really brought home just how many people are impacted by the disease.

“There was a lot of nice chat had with people, and they felt the Foundation was such a great cause to support. MND just seems to touch a lot more people than you realise, and even some of the people on my JustGiving page who donated, they were saying that somebody in their family has been affected by the disease, and therefore they want to help and support,” Anthony remarked.

Completing a continuous 100km walk is no small feat, and so Anthony spent months planning and preparing, gradually increasing the distance of his training walks and keeping on top of his cardiovascular health with his spin bike and some weight training, before taking on the challenge.

“I’m somebody who likes to be prepared,” he explained, but whilst he was as prepared as possible, there were still some tough parts to push through during this year’s Ultra.

“There were moments in the night or on the latter part where there were some really steep climbs, and it’s on uneven ground in the dark, and I had a slight injury.” But drawing on motivation from all those supporting him kept Anthony moving forward.

“I just remember why I’m doing it. Yes, I’m doing it to challenge myself, but I’m also doing it for the people who have donated. About 95 out of 300 people doing the 100km don’t finish, so I never want to not finish because people have sponsored me, so I have to get to the end.”

And for Anthony, every pound he’s raised for MND research has a profound effect.

“It means a lot, because I think about all the families that are going to go through the same thing I’ve seen. But raising the money feels like I’m doing something to help put the spotlight on the disease.”

As for what’s next, Anthony is already eyeing up another Ultra Challenge to fundraise for us in 2027.

We’re incredibly grateful to Anthony for all his ongoing support and generosity. His fundraising efforts and commitment to raising awareness of the disease is helping us move closer to a world free of MND.

Whether you have five months to train for a challenge, a fiver to give, or a fundraiser to organise – find out how you can help us too, by clicking here.