PledgeSports “Athlete of the Year”
2016 has been a great year for us, but that has been made so purely through the great people we have the fortune of working with on a daily basis.
To honour the fantastic times our athletes have given us over the last 12 months, we wanted to give something back to them. One of them, in particular.
And so, the PledgeSports Athlete of the Year for 2016 is… Jim Gump!
This man is our “Athlete of the Year” because he is doing something absolutely amazing.
It’s one thing to take on an incredible challenge to better yourself, it’s another thing to do it for many others.
After watching the London Olympics in 2012, Jim Plunkett-Cole (Jim Gump) felt inspired. Come January 2013, he decided to run 10km per day, every single day, for the entire year.
Fast forward to October 2016 and Jim was still running. In fact, he had been running for 1,366 days without fail, amassing an incredible 10,000 continuous miles in the company of his trusted collie, Alfredo.
On October 1st, 2016, Jim Gump set off on a 20,000 mile run through the US. This run, when completed (30,000 miles), will be the longest continuous run in history.
Why is he doing it? Simple. To inspire children around the world to live healthier, more active lifestyles and fight the ever-growing issue of obesity among our youngest generation.
Terrifying Figures
The issue of obesity isn’t anything new or groundbreaking, we all know it exists. But, did you know just how prominent it is among children?
In the US alone, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.
The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012.
Nowadays, 1 in 3 children in the US are obese. That’s a staggering 24.5 million children who are being set up for heart disease, diabetes and a much shorter life.
This Battle Belongs To The Global Population, Don’t Let Jim Fight Alone
Jim is nothing short of an inspiration and we can’t wait to see his historical run progress through 2017 and beyond.
You can support Jim on his mission or share this amazing story with your friends – here!
It was difficult to choose one athlete above all for this award – you can check out all of the four brilliant runner-ups here!