A BASINGSTOKE man has raised thousands for causes close to heart by running and cycling between Basingstoke and London.

On Saturday, July 20, Joe Quince ran 50k and cycled 50k between the Olympic Park in East London and Basingstoke.

Joe, who runs Quince Counselling to help teenagers who are going down the wrong path or struggling in life, has so far raised more than £4,000 for St Michael’s Hospice and Macmillan.

READ MORE: Basingstoke boxing club announces support for Egyptian children's charity He decided to take on the challenge in honour of his dad who died in 2023 following a battle with cancer.

Joe said: “Both of these amazing charities have helped myself and my family so much through such a difficult time.”

On the day of the challenge, he managed to get to 80k ‘fairly comfortably’, completing a 30k run from Stratford Olympic Park to Richmond, and then cycling 50k to Camberley.

With a 20k run remaining, Joe said he felt like he “would be home in no time” but after 5k, his thighs started cramping. Luckily, two of his friends helped him get through the ‘gruelling’ challenge.

SEE MORE: Sisters complete gruelling 40k walk in memory of their brother

After finishing the challenge, Joe said: “My goal is to raise as much money as possible while highlighting how good these charities are and making sure that people are aware of the dangers and urging people to get checked out if they have the slightest feeling something could be wrong.”

He added: “I’m overwhelmed by the support and the amount we have been able to raise.”

Joe thanked Danny Byrne-Evan’s, Daniel McRoberts, Steve Knight and Daryl Clarke for helping him along the way.

You can donate to Joe’s JustGiving page here: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/joe-quince