A CREDITON man is set to take on an ultramarathon for Hospiscare. 

Groundworker Mike “Chunky” Lander, 57, decided to raise money for the local end-of-life charity when he saw how its Hospiscare at Home service looked after his mother Valerie before she died two years ago. 

He said: "My brother passed away in 2021 of cancer, but then my mother passed away nine months later. My mother had cancer as well.  

“We wanted to raise money... because Hospicecare at Home in Exeter came round and they looked after my mum amazingly, and they took all the pressure off us. 

“If a death can be nice, it was a wonderful, peaceful death.” 

Mr Lander will join the final 100km of the Devon Coast to Coast race on Saturday, May 18.  

He will start at 9pm in Chagford with his wife’s son-in-law Luke Cooper and friend Chris Bragg. The trio will run to Lynmouth on the north Devon coast.

They will follow the Two Moors Way, which will take them between Bow and Copplestone west of Crediton and up through Morchard Bishop and Witheridge. 

They must finish within 25 hours, eating and drinking on-the-go and without sleeping. 

Mr Lander only started running in February last year on a treadmill, but has since taken on long-distance races with Mr Cooper, who is an experienced ultramarathon runner. 

They ran a half-marathon together last year and also tackled the Lone Wolf challenge on the Dartington Estate near Totnes, running 70km in 10 hours.  

Mr Lander has raised around £1,200 so far for Hospiscare, and has set himself a target of £1,500. 

“We are so grateful to Mike for supporting our local charity as we face a £2.5 million funding deficit,” Hospiscare Friends and Family Officer Susie Healey said. 

“Every penny he raises will go towards caring for adults living with a terminal illness in Exeter, Mid and East Devon. 

“The Devon Coast to Coast Ultra Marathon is one of the toughest challenges in our area and we wish Mike the best of luck – we’ll be cheering him on!” 

Hospiscare provides free and specialised nursing to terminally ill people in Exeter, Mid Devon and East Devon.  

It looks after more than 700 patients at any one time, supporting patients in their own homes and in its hospice. 

Just 18 per cent of its funding comes from the NHS, and the rest from charitable donations. 

The full Devon Coast to Coast ultramarathon starts at 8am on May 18. It will see runners go 180km non-stop from Wembury near Plymouth to Lynmouth. 

If you would like to donate to Mike Lander’s fundraiser, you can do so online here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/michael-lander-1712691863118.