The vicar of Westcott Church in Surrey ran from Canterbury to his parish church to raise money and draw attention to an ongoing humanitarian crisis in West Papua.
Setting off at 4am from Canterbury Cathedral facing an 88-mile trek back home, Revd Tim Armstrong, of Holy Trinity Church in Westcott, ran through the heat of the day and late into the night. His progress along the route was keenly followed by friends and parishioners, with constant messages of encouragement and awe.
Tim managed to put in a sterling effort completing 71 of the 88-mile route and climbing over 2219 metres up and down the hilly terrain before succumbing to a swollen foot.
“Knowing I wasn’t running ‘alone’ became increasingly important as the miles went by.” Reflects Revd Tim. “Having supporters meet me to top up water and food supplies, cheer me on, sending me messages, and occasionally accompany me for a leg of the journey really spurred me on!”
For many years Holy Trinity Westcott has supported the charity Papua Partners, which has been working alongside indigenous people in West Papua, since it was founded in Westcott in 2006. West Papua - the Western half of the island of New Guinea - has been subjected to colonization by the Republic of Indonesia since the 1960s and is currently in the grip of a humanitarian crisis.
“This is one of the many hidden injustices happening in our world right now, and it is happening on a huge scale.” Revd Tim said, “This run is a very small way of pointing people towards an unfolding tragedy that I myself was unaware of until I came across the amazing work of Papua Partners on my arrival at Holy Trinity Church nine months ago.”
With Tim’s ultra-marathon having already raised over £2,500 to support the work of Papua Partners, it’s clearly doing its job to bring this international crisis to people’s attention, but he believes there is still more to be done.
Not one for giving up and seeing a challenge completed, Tim plans to do the final 17-mile stretch early next month in the hope that awareness of the Papua Partners’ campaign and the plight in West Papua will continue to grow.
You can show your support for Tim’s epic running efforts by donating here and find out more about the work of Papua Partners via their website.
