Man makes cross country journey for local schools

A British man arrived in Yala’s Betong district on Thursday after running for 50 days from Chiang Rai to raise funds for orphanages and schools in Thailand. He has raised over 200,000 baht.

Chris Russell, 33, a keen runner from Preston, a city in northern England, started his 2,100-kilometre run in Thailand’s northernmost district of Mae Sai in Chiang Rai province on Jan 10, with the finishing line set in the southernmost district of Betong as part of his fundraising campaign called “Run Thailand 2,100 KM”.

The campaign raised £4,679 (212,609 baht), just below its goal of £5,000.

The raised funds will be donated to help improve the well-being of orphanages and support schools in the country.

He said he received support and encouragement from locals throughout his run, which made him feel grateful.

“I enjoy running, Thai food, and a cold beer,” he said in a post on online fundraising platform JustGiving. “I thought combining the three could be a nice way to bring in the New Year.”