MAN v FAT Scunthorpe member Matt Gibson has had a busy few months, helping to raise a huge sum for charity – and he’s not done yet!
Matt has been with the Scunthorpe club for two and a half years and has used his new found fitness to embark on a huge fundraising effort.
He’s already raised over £2,500 for the Huntington’s Disease Association, a charity close to his heart and, having finished a 50k Ultra Marathon in Scotland in May and Wales in July, he’s now aiming to complete a grand slam of GB 50k Ultra Marathons in September.
We spoke to him ahead of his next huge effort to raise vital funds.
Reflecting on where his journey began, he said: “I saw our MAN v FAT league advertised when it was first set up but I put off joining because I was in denial that I was over weight. But I was out of shape, out of breath walking just a few hundred metres to the shop. I then got sciatica twice and the second time I was bed bound for two days, so I knew I needed to get a grip of my life, get the weight off and get moving and fit again so I joined up about a year after the league was formed.”
And it’s proven to be a great decision, with Matt making some great friends as part of the club that’s expertly led by Dave Bell, a long standing MAN v FAT coach.
Matt continued: “The community is fantastic, the league has grown from 4 teams to 8 in my time, so we have about 80 blokes in the league and we have done so much in my time there.
“We obviously have the MAN v FAT 7s on a Friday but we also have an extra session on Tuesdays if lads want it and the 11s football has been excellent.
“We have external 11s games against other MAN v FAT teams but also internal 11s games for charities which are always great. We have raised money for my charity Huntington’s Disease Association, Alzheimer’s Society, Multiple Sclerosis Trust, Hope House cancer support, Lindsey Lodge Hospice, Tommys, Cure DM and others, we have raised over £17,000 so far as a club which is fantastic!
“Some of the lads have run in 10ks, half marathons, full marathons, Ultra Marathons and long bike rides to raise not just money but awareness for charity. Fellow assistant coach Jamie Hannath runs the Tuesday footy, all the 11s and charity stuff, he has been the backbone of the fund raising within our league.”
As with the best of our MAN v FAT clubs, the off pitch community and spirit is just as important as anything that happens in the 30 minutes on the pitch.
The Scunthorpe club epitomises some of those great qualities and Matt explained: “The league has been great to make friends and provide mental health support for some, that sometimes does not have to be anything deep just a beer or two with some light banter in some cases or joining in with one of our mental health walks we have had.
“The social side for some has been great, curry nights, evenings out to watch a band or the football, day out at the races, pub games and karaoke sessions!”
As he prepares to embark on his next Ultra Marathon in September, Matt was keen to show his gratitude for his fellow Scunthorpe club mates, before explaining just why the Huntington’s Disease Association cause is so important to him.
“The lads have been amazing in supporting my charity Huntington’s Disease Association,” he said.
“I kick started my charity fundraising last year with an internal 11s game, we have had football cards too to win money or hampers, and they have got right behind me either financially chipping in and/or helping spread the word via social media.
“Their words of support and encouragement with me taking on Ultra marathons has not gone unnoticed, it does give you that extra boost when people back you. I chose ultra marathons because I wanted to really challenge and push myself physically and mentally, in doing so I get to raise awareness and money for a charity very close to my heart but I can also get myself even fitter and lighter in weight.
“Huntington’s Disease sadly affects my close family so this is very personal to me and so running these Ultra Marathons for the charity is my way of doing something positive out of a negative. I agreed to run 3x 50K Ultra marathons this year and also cover the distance between Lands End and John O’Groats in the year.
“Over £2,500 has been raised for my charity so far, I would love to raise over £3,000 before I end it. I ran a 50k in May in Scotland, in Wales in July and my last 50k is in the Peak District in England in September. My fund raising will end there or when I have completed the miles between Lands End and John O’Groats.
“All of the Ultras are over rough sometimes very technical terrain with plenty of elevation gain so I have had to condition my body as best as I can for the races. I don’t think I have done too bad for a 45 year old fat bloke with a biscuit knee who has never really been a runner!”
And whilst the majority of his successes are down to his own hard work and endeavour to get back to fitness, Matt also acknowledged that MAN v FAT has played its part in getting him moving.
He finished by saying: “There’s not a chance I could have imagined doing an Ultra Marathon when I first got started with MAN v FAT. As I say, I was out of breath walking a few hundred metres but you have to take small steps, I struggled to play a full 28 minutes of football in the early days, I can do that easily now, I can play 90 minutes with no issues.
“So small steps, slowly changing diet and moving more. My advice to anyone joining MAN v FAT is don’t try and do it all on day one, alter parts in small ways each day and week. We have had so many success stories in our league alone, several of the lads have hit their BMI with many picking up percentage targets, we can all achieve great things if we want to if we put the time and effort in with the correct mindset.”
Want to support Matt with his fundraising?
You can help Matt reach his total with a donation to his JustGiving page!
