Triple Challenge: Stafford veterans to do both Manchester and London Marathons – and the 300 miles in-between

08 August 2025

Veterans Olly Waters and Conor McAdams, both from Stafford, are taking on an epic test of endurance in April 2026 - running in the Manchester Marathon, then running from Manchester to London and finishing by completing the London Marathon, all in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The two friends, both former physical training instructors (PTIs) with strong military ties, will cover more than 300 miles over the course of a week in April 2026, running an ultra-marathon each day (averaging around 43 miles) before finishing their victory journey through central London.

This is their first fundraising challenge, and they’ve set a combined target of £5,000 — raising vital funds for SSAFA’s work supporting veterans, serving personnel, and their families.

Olly, 32, served eight years in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), finishing as a PTI at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate. Now running a removals business in Stafford, he trains six days a week and lives with his wife, two children, and a menagerie of pets. Conor, 33, spent eight years in the Parachute Regiment, ending as a PTI at P Company, Catterick. He now works for Openreach and lives in Stafford with his girlfriend. Conor hopes to inspire others to push their limits through physical challenge.

Conor commented: “We’ve never actually run a marathon before, but we were chatting about how cool it would be to do both the Manchester and London Marathons. Then Olly said: ‘Why don’t we just run between them?’ It was a half-joke — but we looked at the map and realised it could work. And now here we are.”

The pair, who met through friends and share a Stafford-based support network, will train together and post updates via Instagram under the name Endurance Amateurs — a nod to their leap from PTIs to long-distance challengers.

Olly, who now runs a removals business, has worked alongside SSAFA in supporting service families and says the cause couldn’t be closer to home.

Olly commented: “I’ve seen first-hand the incredible work SSAFA does. It’s personal to me - and I want my daughters to see that with the right mindset, you can take on anything. I’ve had the opportunity to support SSAFA doing house relocations and property clearances. Seeing first-hand the impact SSAFA has on the lives of service families is what inspired me to run in support of their incredible work.”