Runner thought King's honour letter was jury service call-up
· Yahoo Sports
A charity worker thought the letter telling him he was being recognised by the King was a call-up for jury service.
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Alex Rigby, from Bootle, Merseyside, said he was shocked to find out he was being given the British Empire Medal.
The 34-year-old was given the medal for his gruelling ultra-marathon Running the Railways events, through which he raised more than £80,000 for Liverpool-based charity Centre 56 by running 56 miles to every Merseyrail station.
"Running the Railways was one of the hardest and best things I've ever done, but I never imagined it would be recognised like this," he said.
Alex Rigby ran 109 miles to raise money for Centre 56 [Merseyrail/PA Wire]After the 2024 Running the Railways challenge, he expanded the challenge to run the whole 109-mile network.
He said: "I'm grateful to everyone who supported us, ran with us and donated and I'd really like to share this honour with them."
The Liverpool Running Club member is now getting ready for his next challenge later this month, in which he will run a 5km (3.1 mile) route between two train stations every hour for 24 hours.
Executive director of Centre 56 Lesley Burrows said: "We couldn't be prouder of what he's achieved and to see him receive this recognition."
Neil Grabham, managing director at Merseyrail, added: "What he's achieved through Running the Railways is nothing short of inspiring."
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