A RUGBY player says his his late mother’s reaction to his challenge to run more than a thousand miles across Australia has spurred him on to complete it.

 

Robbie Dolan is originally from Holgate and played for York Acorn and York Lokomotives before moving to Huddersfield and Bedford, where he plays for Bedford Tigers RLFC.

 

Robbie will run 1,118 miles from Melbourne to Brisbane over 42 days while carrying a rugby ball, in a charity challenge he has labelled The Longest Try, to coincide with the 2017 Rugby World Cup.

 

While he was in Australia in December in the early stages of planning the challenge, Robbie was told his mother Diane had died suddenly at the age of 61.

 

He said: “I’m not going to say it’s in memory of her because it was done for other reasons, but I know I will never give up on it now.

 

“Mum died on the Friday, and I went to see the Rugby World Cup team on the Monday, so for me, that weekend was either ‘do it or give up’. When we have the opportunity to change people’s lives, perhaps that we won’t see or even meet, I think that’s something she would be proud of and something mum and dad helped towards without thinking about it as it’s part of my upbringing.”

 

Robbie said he was currently looking for local businesses to help sponsor the event, and has now confirmed the full route of the challenge.

 

He will start at the Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, running 605km to Canberra by November 2, then 302km to Sydney in six days, Sydney to Newcastle between November 11 and 13, Newcastle to Sawtell (379km) between November 15 and 22, then Sawtell to Brisbane (386km), from November 24, arriving in Brisbane on December 1 the night before the Rugby League World Cup Final.

 

Robbie has previously run marathons and ultra marathons, and said he hoped to raise £250,000 for charities in the UK and Australia, including The Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which supports children with life-changing illnesses.

 

He said: “It’s gathered more momentum with it being in the paper, because it’s not just an idea anymore, it’s tangible. I’ll be putting more events into place in the next few months.”

 

Anyone interested in sponsoring Robbie’s challenge, or finding out more about The Longest Try, can contact him at thelongesttry.com