Horsham teens’ 100 mile charity trek

Jack Brownson and Matt Amarasekara will be trekking from Winchester to Eastbourne this weekend as they follow the South Downs 100 route.

The Horsham teens, who both hope to join the Marines in September, will be taking on the mammoth challenge while carrying heavy backpacks filled with army kit and survival gear.

Jack said the pair had been planning the trek for a while and they were going to ‘smash it out as fast as they could’.

He said: “We have this motto go big or go home. It’s kind of to challenge ourselves but also to show people that anything is possible.

“It’s going to be painful but between the two of us we are going to cross that finish line.”

Jack and Matt will be setting off from Winchester at 3am on Saturday. They will be following a route through the picturesque South Downs travelling through woodland, fields and tough terrain before arriving in Eastbourne on Sunday afternoon.

But the pair are not just taking on the gruelling task, usually completed by ultramarathon runners and marines in training, as a personal challenge. They will also be raising money for two causes.

Jack said they will be collecting funds for the Horsham Scouts to help the group create an artificial caving system in memory of one of its former leaders Paul Dold.

They will also be rasing money for the Royal Marines Charity.

Jack said: “The idea is to so something before we take. If something was to happen to us (whilst serving) then we could give something before we take it.”

He added: “It’s kind of do something that will stick with us and something we will never forget.”

To donate to visit www.gofundme.com/southdowns100