Huddersfield Town Head of Strength and IDP running marathon for MND charities
- Callum Adams to run Leeds Marathon for MND charities
- Adams is Club’s Head of Strength and IDP
- Learn more about Motor Neurone Disease by CLICKING HERE
Having sadly lost his father to Motor Neurone Disease in 2021, Town’s Head of Strength and IDP Callum Adams wanted to make a positive from the experience, deciding to take on the upcoming marathon in Leeds to raise funds for MND charities.
In his tenth year of working with the Club in a variety of physical performance roles – initially on a voluntary basis before earning a full-time position with the First Team – he has been our Head of Strength and IDP since May 2022.
Discussing his upcoming challenge and motivations for doing so with htafc.com, there are now just four months until he will take on his very first marathon run.
“I’ll be running my first ever marathon on 14 May in Leeds, and while I have done stuff outside my comfort zone before, nothing has been formal in terms of fundraising. So this is my first ever marathon but also my first ever fundraising experience for any sort of cause” he explains.
With his line of working helping to keep him in brilliant condition, Callum is known more for his prowess in the gym rather than with running shoes on. Opening up about how this challenge came around, Adams says running became part of his life in lockdown during the pandemic, with the desire to fundraise rising after the passing of his father.
“I had to try something different in lockdown with gyms unavailable. I could use my legs and I could go running down the canal, so I did that. I started by doing little bits twice a week, then it became three and then it became four times a week. Eventually, I did half a marathon in distance - nothing formal, I just ran half a marathon myself and really enjoyed the challenge.
“My brother Harley and I lost our Dad to Motor Neurone Disease and since then I have wanted to do something for charity, and played around with different thoughts and different ideas and then this came along, which was quite fitting in terms of the actual disease itself being linked with the marathon and I thought, this is the one I want to do. I’m very big on wanting to get out of my comfort zone, and this is very much out of it.”
Motor Neurone Disease has been in the headlines an increasing amount in recent times, with high profile cases with Doddie Wear and Rob Burrow in rugby sadly followed by the news of former Terrier and fan favourite Marcus Stewart’s diagnosis a few short months ago. A disease that has directly impacted Callum’s life alongside his brother, he wants to turn the experience of losing his father into a positive.
“I have a lot of similarities with my Dad – we’re both very stubborn, very career driven, and very independent. My Dad was very independent and he was a very proud man, that’s the best way I can describe him, he wanted to do everything by himself and loved a challenge and would never ask for help.
“This has given me the opportunity to turn his loss into a positive, and the positive I get out of it is that I feel like anything I face now in daily life or work like or relationships, I always refer back to that it can’t be as bad as what my Dad went through and that’s what the marathon is; it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be uncomfortable, even the training, but I get kicked into gear and know that it’s not as hard as what my Dad went through.”
Working closely with the First Team each day, Adams admits that some of the players have taken an active interest in his marathon training, with the squad also donating to his fundraising efforts.
“Some of the players have really engaged in what I’m doing and are asking me how I’m getting on every day. I think it’s something they can semi-relate to because some of them don’t relate to the gym work as much as me, so when they see me deadlifting and squatting it’s not that interesting but the fact that I’m running, which is their sport, they can relate to it with the distances and times. A lot of the lads, especially the senior lads are really engaged in it and a few of them have sponsored me already.”
A first time fundraising, Adams admits that it’s something he’s enjoying and would encourage others to make the commitment if they’re tempted to.
“If anybody wants to fundraise and you’re overthinking it, go seek the help you need to kickstart it because that sense of achievement at the end of each training session is something that is keeping me going. Rather than think about it, just sign up and then deal with the rest after that, which is the approach I took.”
Good luck, Callum!
To follow Callum’s journey fundraising, CLICK HERE, and if you can, you can donate to his marathon efforts by CLICKING HERE!
