A pig farmer from Yorkshire is galvanising support for a January press-ups challenge to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK and England Boxing.
Last January, Richard Longthorp from Howden, East Yorkshire, who has Parkinson’s disease, achieved an astonishing £22,000 for charity with his daily 1,000 press-up commitment.
This year, he aims to push the limits with a 24-hour press-up marathon targeting a staggering 10,000 consecutive press-ups and is urging people to come together to reach a collective milestone of one million press-ups. Diagnosed eight years prior, Mr Longthorp embraced boxing in 2022 at his local club to aid in managing his symptoms.
“I put on a pair of boxing gloves for the first time in my life at age 68 and I’ve been doing it ever since,” he shared with PA news agency, detailing that he even established two boxing groups specifically for those with Parkinson’s in Hull and Goole. He emphasises the critical role of boxing in mitigating the progression of Parkinson’s, enhancing strength, and coordination.
Through this formidable challenge, he also strives to promote awareness of the realities of living with the disease. “When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s I was told to come back and see the doctors in six months’ time,” he recollected.
“They didn’t say anything about what to expect or how to manage the condition.
(Image: Copyright remains with handout provider)
“I probably first had it maybe 10 years prior, because in my situation, my sense of smell disappeared, my sense of taste disappeared, and that was way before my official diagnosis.”
“Most people think of Parkinson’s as a tremor which we all get, but it’s probably the least of the symptoms in terms of effect on your life.”
Mr. Longthorp voiced his ambition to inspire 500 individuals to join his press-ups challenge this year. He has also devised a routine to achieve his aim of completing 1,000 press-ups daily without interruption.
“I do 15 every 45 seconds, precisely, but to do them in less than an hour, you do need to be fairly disciplined and have a time clock to guide you,” he shared.
Participants will be able to log their press-ups count each day in a dedicated WhatsApp group for the challenge, allowing Mr. Longthorp to maintain an ongoing total.
Despite the difficulties posed by Parkinson’s, Mr. Longthorp believes it has positively shaped his life. “It isn’t the end, far from it,” he declared.
“It’s the start of a different phase of your life. It sounds horribly corny, but Parkinson’s has given me opportunities which I wouldn’t otherwise have had.”
He reflected on the unforeseen benefits: “If I hadn’t gotten Parkinson’s, I wouldn’t have taken up boxing, I wouldn’t have met all the fantastic people that I now see regularly on the boxing circuit.”
For more information or to contribute, visit Mr. Longthorp’s GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/onemillionpressups4parkinsons.