AN RAF CONINGSBY SERGEANT is approaching the finish of a year-long challenge which has seen him exercise every single day for charity.
Sergeant Jonny Guite, 56, set himself a minimum target of running, cycling, spinning or swimming three kilometres each day for a full year. In practice, he has averaged around 14 kilometres a day and has so far raised £2,030 for the Royal British Legion.
Sgt Guite began the challenge at the Brigg Poppy 10K Run on 26 October 2025. A year later, on 25 October, he plans to return to the same event to complete it, bringing 365 consecutive days of exercise to an end.
But despite the distances involved, Jonny says the hardest part has often been much simpler. He said: “The most challenging part is just putting your trainers on. You have to do that each day, every day. But once you’re dressed, you’re there, you’re in, and you get on with it.”
The challenge grew from a month-long effort Jonny completed in January 2025, when he exercised every day for prostate cancer and raised more than £1,000. Looking for something that would push him further, he decided to extend the idea from one month to an entire year, choosing the Royal British Legion after his first Poppy Run helped make the charity a natural fit.
Keeping the challenge going has meant fitting exercise around work, holidays and everyday life. Sgt Guite has run while visiting Greece, Spain and Germany, as well as exercising across the UK from Cornwall and the Essex coast to Sheffield, Nottingham, Filey and Lincolnshire. There have also been two falls from his bike and another two while running.
The hills of Cornwall provided one of the toughest moments. Jonny said: “I was cycling near Padstow and, living in Lincolnshire, the Cornish hills took some getting used to. There were moments when I wondered what I was doing, but you just adapt and overcome and keep going.”
A lifelong cyclist, Jonny says the year has also turned him into something he would never previously have called himself: a runner. Along the way he has set personal bests over both 5K and 10K and completed a half marathon, while his fitness has improved significantly and he has lost around a stone and a half.
Jonny joined the RAF in 1987 as an Aircraft Mechanic and, 39 years later, continues to serve as a full-time reservist at RAF Coningsby. He believes that military experience, rather than his engineering background, has helped him through the challenge: “There’s that thing inside you which tells you not to give up. If something isn’t working, you adapt, overcome and carry on.”
Jonny says his wife Paula has been central to keeping him going. Sgt Guite said: “My darling wife Paula has been fantastic. She’s helped me look after my kit and, more importantly, put up with me doing this every single day. I couldn’t have asked for more support.”
With the finish now in sight, Jonny is characteristically understated about what 25 October will mean. “I don’t think I’ll be euphoric because I’ll always find something else to do,” he said. “But I will have a real sense of achievement. A year ago, I wouldn’t have called myself a runner. I certainly would now.”
You can donate to Jonny’s campaign here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jonathan-guite-2
