'Running the length of South America is a battle'

A man attempting to run the length of South America has completed about 1,100 miles (1,800km) despite injuring his ankle, battling storms and losing the driver of his support van.

Mike Humphreys, from Hedon, near Hull, embarked on the epic, 4,700-mile challenge in March to raise money for research into motor neurone disease (MND).

Having lost one friend to the condition in 2013, Mike is now supporting a second, Craig Eskrett, who was diagnosed in 2023.

"It's been an emotional roller coaster the last three weeks," Mike said. "It's been a real rough battle."

He added: "Whatever challenge I'm facing out here is nothing to what Craig is facing.

"That really is my driving factor behind continuing and just getting on with the challenge."

Previously, Mike has completed 30 marathons in 30 days, ridden a Raleigh Chopper bike from Hull to the Alps, and run more than three miles in a sauna, among other charity challenges.

But his current adventure is his biggest and most gruelling yet.

Mike's friend Carl "Gibby" Giblin lost his life to MND aged 32.

"You witness that, and once Craig announced he had motor neurone disease, it was just heartbreaking to see," Mike explained.

"The reason behind all these challenges is in memory of Gibby and in support of Craig."

Mike, a personal trainer, has faced many obstacles off and on the road.

He was supposed to jet off in October last year, but his journey was delayed when his van and running equipment were stolen.

After getting a new van, he started his challenge on 30 March in Ushuaia, near the southern tip of Argentina, and ran 31 miles (50km) on his first day.

But on day five, 125 miles into the challenge, Mike acquired an injury after his ankle started to swell up.

The day after, he pushed through the pain and hobbled through a 10-hour run.

By day 11, Mike had run the full length of the southern region of Tierra del Fuego.

His next battle? The wind.

"It's been wild... the wind here is insane," Mike said.

"If I was in England running, there would be a different storm name every single day – the Met Office would run out of storm names.

"Every day, it's on my face. That's been one of the toughest parts."

Just over two weeks into his journey, the sole member of Mike's support team went home, leaving him to carry on alone.

"The only option I had to keep the challenge going was to start hitchhiking," he said.

Each day he attempted to hitch a ride about 31 miles (50km) up the road before running back to his van. One day, he was turned down by the drivers of 37 vehicles.

Other obstacles included 100-mile diversions, being stopped by the police and trying to find a safe place to park.

Having struggled with the practicalities of hitchhiking, Mike appealed on social media for someone to join him as part of his "support crew" and drive the van alongside him while he runs.

He said his social media appeal was a "success" and he would soon have more help.

Speaking of the online support, Mike said messages from strangers helped him "stay focused and remember the cause". He added: "It's been a massive help."

Mike is now heading towards the Andes, the world's longest continental mountain range, to tackle miles of bumpy gravel roads.

He then plans to run through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.

While he originally thought the journey would last 200 to 250 days, he now estimates it will take about 280.

He said the best aspect of the challenge so far had been "knowing most people in the world are really friendly warm and welcoming".

"When you come out to places like South America, everyone warns you how dangerous the places are," he said.

"When you go to these places, [you] find out for yourself how amazing the locals are."

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