DAN ALLEN’S 78.6 MILE CHALLENGE FOR SHANE RICHARDSON’S FAMILY

THE LATE SHANE RICHARDSON IN ACTUON

IN JUNE 2026, DAN ALLEN, CO-OWNER AND COACH AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE TRANSFORMATION GYM IN REDDITCH, COMPLETED ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGES OF HIS LIFE. OVER THE COURSE OF 28 HOURS, DAN RAN 28 INDIVIDUAL LAPS TOTALLING 78.6 MILES TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE FAMILY OF SHANE RICHARDSON, A CLIENT, FRIEND AND MOTORCYCLE RACER WHO TRAGICALLY LOST HIS LIFE FOLLOWING A MOTORCYCLE RACING ACCIDENT AT OULTON PARK LAST YEAR.

WHAT WAS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE 78.6 MILES?

WHILE THE DISTANCE ITSELF WAS REMARKABLE ENOUGH, THE REASON BEHIND IT IS WHAT MADE THE CHALLENGE SO IMPORTANT. SHANE RICHARDSON MEANT A LOT TO MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE ATHENA AND LOCAL REDDITCH COMMUNITIES. HE WAS A TALENTED BIKE RIDER, A LOVING FAMILY MAN AND SOMEONE WHO LEFT A LONG-LASTING IMPRESSION ON THOSE WHO KNEW HIM PERSONALLY. HIS TRAGIC LOSS WAS FELT FAR BEYOND THE MOTOR RACING COMMUNITY.

WHEN DAN DECIDED TO TAKE ON THIS RUNNING CHALLENGE, IT WAS NEVER ABOUT SEEING HOW FAR HE COULD RUN OR TRYING TO PROVE HIMSELF. IT WAS ABOUT FINDING A CHALLENGING WAY TO SUPPORT SHANE’S PARTNER AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN AND THE REST OF HIS FAMILY, WHILE HONOURING THE MEMORY OF A FRIEND, WHO WAS TAKEN FAR TOO SOON.

28 HOURS WITH NO SLEEP

THE 28 HOUR RUN, WAS BUILT AROUND THE NUMBER 28 WHICH WAS THE RACING NUMBER SHANE COMPETED UNDER THROUGHOUT HIS SUCCESSFUL MOTORCYCLE CAREER.

DAN RAN JUST OVER 2.8 MILES EVERY HOUR, ON THE HOUR, FOR 28 CONSECUTIVE HOURS, THE ONLY REST HE GOT WAS WHEN THE 2.8 MILE RUNNING SEGMENT WAS COMPLETED, UNTIL THE NEXT HOUR, WHERE DAN WOULD NEED TO RUN THOSE 2.8 MILES AGAIN. 28 TIMES, WITH NO TIME FOR SLEEP.

STARTED AND ENDED AT OUR GYM

THE ONLY RULE WAS THAT EACH LAP STARTED AND FINISHED AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE. ON PAPER, THAT MIGHT SOUND STRAIGHTFORWARD. IN REALITY, IT MEANT RUNNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO THE FOLLOWING MORNING WITH ONLY SHORT RECOVERY WINDOWS BEFORE SETTING OFF AGAIN.

AS THE HOURS PASSED, THE PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION KICKED IN. THE LEGS BECAME HEAVIER, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REST BECAME SHORTER, THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING BROUGHT A DIFFERENT KIND OF TEST ALTOGETHER.

HOW THE COMMUNITY HELPED DAN

WHAT STOOD OUT THROUGHOUT THE CHALLENGE WAS THE SUPPORT THAT SURROUNDED IT. PEOPLE ARRIVED AT ALL HOURS TO RUN ALONGSIDE DAN FOR A LAP. SOME JOINED HIM DURING THE DAY. OTHERS TURNED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

TEAM EFFORT

MANY MORE LOCALS FOLLOWED THE CHALLENGE ONLINE, AS THEY SHARED THE FUNDRAISER PAGE OR MADE GENEROUS DONATIONS TO HELP WITH THE CAUSE. WHAT STARTED AS JUST DAN TAKING ON AN ENDURANCE CHALLENGE QUICKLY BECAME A TEAM EFFORT. DAN COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP, SUPPORT AND DONATIONS. THIS REFLECTS THE KIND OF COMMUNITY THAT EXISTS BOTH INSIDE ATHENA PERFORMANCE AND ACROSS REDDITCH.

OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE SEEN MEMBERS SUPPORT EACH OTHER THROUGH WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEYS, CHARITY EVENTS, COMPETITIONS AND SOME OF LIFE’S TOUGHEST MOMENTS. THIS CHALLENGE FELT LIKE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER WHEN IT REALLY MATTERED AND DAN IS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

YOU ALL HAD A PART TO PLAY

BY THE TIME DAN COMPLETED HIS FINAL LAP, MORE THAN £3,300 HAD BEEN RAISED FOR SHANE’S FAMILY WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AS THE NUMBERS ONLY CONTINUE TO RISE. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO GAVE THEIR TIME, THEIR ENERGY AND THEIR SUPPORT TO HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN IS REMARKABLE AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE PROUD FOR PLAYING YOUR PARTS.

WE KNOW DAN WOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON TO DEFLECT ATTENTION AWAY FROM HIMSELF AND BACK TOWARDS THE CAUSE, BUT WE WOULD BE DOING HIM A DISSERVICE IF WE DIDN’T ACKNOWLEDGE THE SCALE OF WHAT HE ACHIEVED.

RUNNING 3 MARATHONS IN 28 HOURS

RUNNING THE EQUIVALENT OF THREE MARATHONS IS EXTRAORDINARY, ESPECIALLY IN JUST 28 HOURS. DOING IT ONE LAP AT A TIME, KNOWING YOU HAVE TO GO BACK OUT AGAIN EVERY SINGLE HOUR, REQUIRES A LEVEL OF MENTAL RESILIENCE, EMOTIONAL TURMOIL AND PERSEVERANCE, THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE MAY EVER EXPERIENCE. EVERYONE AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IS INCREDIBLY PROUD OF HIM. NOT JUST FOR COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE, BUT FOR THE REASON HE CHOSE TO DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. ONCE AGAIN, WE WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED.

DAN SAID:

“I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED, SHARED THE FUNDRAISER, JOINED ME FOR A LAP OR CAME DOWN TO SUPPORT ME. THE CHALLENGE WAS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT, BUT THE SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE 28 HOURS MADE A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, EVERY DONATION WILL HELP SUPPORT SHANE’S FAMILY, WHICH WAS THE REASON FOR DOING THIS.”

FINAL THANK YOU

TO THOSE WHO DONATED, SHARED THE FUNDRAISER, JOINED DAN FOR ANY LAP THROUGHOUT THE RUN, SENT MESSAGES OF SUPPORT OR SIMPLY TOOK THE TIME TO FOLLOW THE CHALLENGE, THANK YOU.

YOUR SUPPORT HELPED RAISE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS FOR SHANE’S FAMILY AND SHOWED JUST HOW STRONG THIS COMMUNITY CAN BE WHEN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER.

IN MEMORY OF SHANE RICHARDSON

WE HOPE THE FUNDS RAISED PROVIDE SOME SUPPORT TO HIS FAMILY AND SERVE AS A REMINDER OF THE IMPACT HE HAD ON SO MANY PEOPLE. FROM ALL OF US AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE, THANK YOU AND REST IN PEACE, SHANE. YOU ARE SORELY MISSED.

DONATIONS ARE STILL AVAILABLE TO BE MADE VIA THE JUSTGIVING PAGE SET UP IN SHANE’S HONOUR. GOFUNDME.COM/F/SUPPORT-SHANE-RICHARDSONS-FAMILY