A runner from Sheffield has raised almost £10,000 for the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal after three years of fundraising efforts. 

Pierre Laubscher, from Gladstone Road, Sheffield, has run a total of over 5000 kilometres, which has included multiple half marathons and the London Marathon.

The distance is equivalent to that of Sheffield to Donetsk, which is Sheffield’s twin city in Ukraine and back. 

The 62-year-old said: “I’ve never been a long distance runner. I always said I would never do a marathon. I thought it was for nutters.”

However, Mr Laubscher was inspired to run long distances to raise money for the British Red Cross in January 2022, when war broke out in Ukraine. He ran the Sheffield Half Marathon in March 2022, and decided his fundraising efforts shouldn’t stop there. 

Mr Laubscher said: “Even if war stopped tomorrow, the money would still be needed.” 

After speaking to Ukrainians and doing more research, Mr Laubscher learnt 10 million people have been displaced and many are without access to food, water and electricity. Homes, hospitals and schools continue to be damaged.

Since then, he has completed the London Marathon, multiple half marathons and has even set up his own run club in Sheffield to bring more awareness and attention to the conflict in Ukraine. 

The run club, known as RCUCRC (Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Run Club) is based in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, and meets every Tuesday wearing yellow and blue clothes to show solidarity with Ukraine.

Mr Laubscher has also set up an event called ‘Half in the Park’, based in Endcliffe, where he runs 22 loops of Endcliffe Park, and encourages local runners to run loops with him. This took place in summer last year, and he hopes to repeat it this July. 

He said the event was a great way to draw more awareness to the fundraising work he is doing, and tell others how vital the donations are. 

Mr Laubscher doesn’t plan on stopping his fundraising efforts any time soon. He will be running the Sheffield Half Marathon in March, and the Manchester Marathon in April. 

Donations to his Just Giving page can be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/plaubscher-2022