The EU Challenge
Hi and thanks for visiting my site
My name is Mike Harley and from May 2015 - Mar 2022 I managed to raise funds and awareness for the charity Invest In ME and biomedical research by running a marathon in every EU country (currently 27 in total).
My name is Mike Harley and from May 2015 - Mar 2022 I managed to raise funds and awareness for the charity Invest In ME and biomedical research by running a marathon in every EU country (currently 27 in total).
Invest In ME is a fantastic charity raising money for biomedical trials and studies to help identify the cause and ultimately treat the condition of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Invest in ME want to establish a national strategy of biomedical research into M.E. and establish a UK and European Centre of Excellence for biomedical research into M.E.
It's estimated that over 250,000 people in the UK suffer from ME/CFS and this includes 25,000 children. ME is the main reason for child school absence in the UK and the numbers above are old estimations, it's likely that many more remain undiagnosed with the illness.
One of my oldest friends, Ian, has been suffering from ME for over 15 years and has been unable to work or lead a normal life. And as with many people who have ME, a full recovery isn't by any means guaranteed especially where governments continue to mis-diagnose the condition and fail to support clinical trials.
In 2014 with a group of friends, I took part in a very different challenge for the charity (92 football grounds in 92 hrs) managing to reach over 10 million people (through TV, Press and the football community) and raising nearly £4K. Throughout this project I met and talked to ME sufferers and their families which has had a very profound effect on my decision to attempt this challenge. For more info click here
It's estimated that over 250,000 people in the UK suffer from ME/CFS and this includes 25,000 children. ME is the main reason for child school absence in the UK and the numbers above are old estimations, it's likely that many more remain undiagnosed with the illness.
One of my oldest friends, Ian, has been suffering from ME for over 15 years and has been unable to work or lead a normal life. And as with many people who have ME, a full recovery isn't by any means guaranteed especially where governments continue to mis-diagnose the condition and fail to support clinical trials.
In 2014 with a group of friends, I took part in a very different challenge for the charity (92 football grounds in 92 hrs) managing to reach over 10 million people (through TV, Press and the football community) and raising nearly £4K. Throughout this project I met and talked to ME sufferers and their families which has had a very profound effect on my decision to attempt this challenge. For more info click here
Over the 7 year period, I met with ME Associations and patients in 11 of the 27 EU nations and was featured in newspapers, marathon websites and TV.
#1 - Prague, Czech Rep - May 3rd 2015
#2 - Helsinki, Finland - Aug 15th 2015
#3 - Dublin, Ireland - Oct 26th 2015
#4 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Apr 3rd 2016
#5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Jun 4th 2016
#6 - Gdansk, Poland - Aug 15th 2016
#7 - Brussels, Belgium - Oct 2nd 2016
#8 - Toulouse, France - Oct 23rd 2016
#9 - Barcelona, Spain - Mar 12th 2017
#10 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - May 27th 2017
#11 - Vilnius, Lithuania - Sept 10th 2017
#12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Oct 15th 2017
#13 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Oct 29th 2017
#14 - Malta, Malta - Feb 25th 2018
#15 - Vienna, Austria - Apr 22nd 2018
#16 - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 13th 2018
#17 - Tallinn, Estonia - Sept 9th 2018
#18 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Oct 14th 2018
#19 - Paphos, Cyprus - Mar 17th 2019
#20 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Apr 7th 2019
#21 - Riga, Latvia - May 19th 2019
#22 - Budapest, Hungary - Sept 29th 2019
#23 - Bucharest, Romania - Oct 13th 2019
#24 - Porto, Portugal - Nov 3rd 2019
#25 - Hamburg, Germany - Sept 12th 2021
#26 - Zagreb, Croatia - Oct 10th 2021
#27 - Rome, Italy - Mar 27th 2022
#1 - Prague, Czech Rep - May 3rd 2015
#2 - Helsinki, Finland - Aug 15th 2015
#3 - Dublin, Ireland - Oct 26th 2015
#4 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Apr 3rd 2016
#5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Jun 4th 2016
#6 - Gdansk, Poland - Aug 15th 2016
#7 - Brussels, Belgium - Oct 2nd 2016
#8 - Toulouse, France - Oct 23rd 2016
#9 - Barcelona, Spain - Mar 12th 2017
#10 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - May 27th 2017
#11 - Vilnius, Lithuania - Sept 10th 2017
#12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Oct 15th 2017
#13 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Oct 29th 2017
#14 - Malta, Malta - Feb 25th 2018
#15 - Vienna, Austria - Apr 22nd 2018
#16 - Copenhagen, Denmark - May 13th 2018
#17 - Tallinn, Estonia - Sept 9th 2018
#18 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Oct 14th 2018
#19 - Paphos, Cyprus - Mar 17th 2019
#20 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Apr 7th 2019
#21 - Riga, Latvia - May 19th 2019
#22 - Budapest, Hungary - Sept 29th 2019
#23 - Bucharest, Romania - Oct 13th 2019
#24 - Porto, Portugal - Nov 3rd 2019
#25 - Hamburg, Germany - Sept 12th 2021
#26 - Zagreb, Croatia - Oct 10th 2021
#27 - Rome, Italy - Mar 27th 2022
After 'completing' the EU, I decided to continue running and raising awareness in other European countries and cities with ME associations where I can try to help.
To sponsor me and help fund Invest In ME's biomedical research projects please visit: www.justgiving.com/mikeseumarathons