The Gumpathon • 4 Guys - 2 Months - 3630 Miles • Charity Run

"The Gumpathon Challenge brings together the British and US armed services in the service of the greatest of causes. The courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and women is an inspiration, and we owe them a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay. So I am delighted to give my full support to those running the equivalent of 134 marathons in the USA as you excel not only physically but in your compassion in raising funds for wounded members of the forces. I have seen at first hand the extraordinary work of the UK rehabilitation centre, Hedley Court and the additional support that Help for Heroes brings to make everything available to those men and women injured in the line of duty. You have my warm best wishes, my gratitude, and the pride of the whole country. Good luck, and thank you."

"I take my hat off to all of you…3630 miles, coast to coast, wow. I am hugely impressed by your efforts to achieve something as incredible and remarkable as this and can fully understand your motivations for committing to a challenge of this magnitude. Raising funds to help support injured service men and women and their families during treatment and beyond is vital and very close to my heart. I wish you all the best!"

"I am full of admiration for your team , especially Mark, for their dedication and bravery. I send you all my very best wishes for a safe and successful journey across North America. I am sure that you will meet many interesting people and have some amazing experiences throughout your trip. I hope that you manage to reach your target for such a very special cause."

"The Gumpathon is an ambitious and daunting challenge, but from what I’ve heard your grit and determination will pull you through to the end. The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, HELP for HEROES and The Royal Marine Charitable Trust Fund are amazing charities to be raising money for. Good luck to the team and your crew."

"This is an outstanding project which requires maximum endurance and commitment. It would be remarkable even if it was being attempted just for that and no more. But it is being done for the very best of causes. I wish the runners well and hope they will be supported with encouragement and cash for their great cause, wherever they go."

"Help for Heroes is all about people ‘doing their bit’ and the Gumpathon goes above and beyond as an amazing example of this! The idea of British and American servicemen joining together to run across America, to raise money for their wounded mates, is just simply stupendous – if a little crazy – and we at Help for Heroes are behind them every step the way.

When Emma and I decided to do our bit to help wounded servicemen in 2007 we had no idea so many people across the UK would decide to join us and together, create the Help for Heroes phenomenon. People have run, climbed, cycled, swum, parachuted, baked, in fact done just about anything honest and decent you imagine to raise money to support our blokes.

The money raised, over £60m to date, is all used to provide direct, practical support to those wounded in the service of our country. We have already spent £millions and we have a shopping list of future projects that will ensure they get the very best. We may not be able to prevent them from being hurt but we can certainly do our bit to help them get better.

Gumpathon is part of something that is very wonderful and I would like to say HUGE thank you to the Gumpathon team – Good Luck!"

"Good luck guys, remember to enjoy it. I take my hat off to you all, this is a very important cause and needs brave (albeit slightly barking) guys like you to keep flying the flag. Looking forward to following your story..along with the rest of the world by the looks of it!"

"Good luck to you all in your 'Gumpathon' quest to run across the USA! You have chosen a truly 'epic challenge but I have no doubt you will conquer it. During my 16 years in the military, I faced a mere fraction of the challenges all of you now confront on a daily basis - you have my complete respect and total admiration for all that you do in both war and peace. Good luck!"

"This is an awesome undertaking. To run in baking desert heat, over mountain ranges, through wind and rain, day after day, week after week, month after month, is the ultimate challenge. I can only wish the team well - they run for the most worthy of causes, and every step will make a difference to an injured Serviceman's quality of life. Having met the team, I am totally confident that they are made of the right stuff to cross the finish line in San Diego. A great cause, a great crew, and a great endeavour. Good luck chaps - I'm with you every step of the way (theoretically)."

"I am in total awe of the troops taking part in this epic challenge. They are true heroes and raising money for a brilliant cause. We all need to get behind them. Run boys run!!!"