The Leicestershire Round in a day!

In July 2026, Rob Eberlein contacted the LFA to let us know about a charity challenge he’d be taking on at the end of August. He wanted to raise money for Wishes4Kids, a Leicester-based charity that grants wishes for children and young people with life-limiting or terminal illnesses.

Starting at midday on Saturday 29 August 2026, he’d attempt to run the full Leicestershire Round continuously – approximately 100 miles – with the aim of returning to Newtown Linford within 24 hours.

Rob wanted to keep the LFA informed of what he was doing, because (in his own words):

“The Leicestershire Footpath Association created the Round and continues to play such an important part in looking after and promoting it. Thank you for the work you do to protect Leicestershire’s rights of way and maintain such an incredible route. It will be a privilege to attempt the full Round while raising money for an important local charity.”

This is Rob’s own account of how he got on:

“On Saturday 29th August, I set off from Newtown Linford to take on the full Leicestershire Round. I knew it was going to be a huge challenge, so I organised a support team to meet me at nine checkpoints around the route, roughly 9–11 miles apart. Each checkpoint gave us somewhere to stop briefly, refuel, switch kit when needed and get ready for the next section. I also had different people joining me to run sections of the route, which ended up being a massive part of getting me around.

The first few sections went relatively smoothly, but as the day went on, the conditions started to make things much more difficult. We had heavy rain and storms, and the ground underfoot became increasingly wet and muddy. Some of the fields were incredibly difficult to move through, and when you added in the constant climbing, stiles and gates, maintaining any sort of rhythm became difficult.

As daylight disappeared, we continued through the night. Even as it got dark, there was another checkpoint and another group of people waiting for us. Seeing the support team, getting some food down and then having someone alongside me for the next section gave me something to keep working towards.

Eventually, after continuing through the night and well into the following day, we made our way back towards Newtown Linford. By the time I reached the finish, I’d covered 107 miles in around 33 hours and completed the full Leicestershire Round.

It was without doubt one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever taken on. There were plenty of points where the weather, terrain, lack of sleep and sheer amount of time on my feet started to take their toll. I don’t think I would have made it around without the people running alongside me and the team waiting at every checkpoint. Despite the storms, mud and endless stiles, completing the Leicestershire Round with such a brilliant group of people supporting me is an experience I won’t forget!

The challenge also helped us raise over £3,000 for Wishes4kids.”

CONGRATULATIONS TO ROB ON AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT!

If you’d like to make a donation, Rob’s fundraising page is: www.justgiving.com/page/robsfundraiser