An ex-marine from Warrington town centre has decided to take on a gruelling nine-day challenge to raise money for a hospice and a mental health charity. Richard Smith, who is the director of the Bolton Marathon, will cycle 913 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End, swim across 37 miles of open water and run 98 miles of mountain terrain, in just nine days, stopping only to sleep. The swims will cover Loch Ness, Windermere and Lake Bala and he will also scale Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. Mr Smith was inspired by the care his father, Ray Smith, received at Myton Hospice, based in Coventry and Warwickshire, before his death from cancer in June last year.