The 80 Mile Run for Legacy
80 Miles of Pain for 80 Years of Love
How one endurance challenge became a tribute, a fundraiser, and the birth of a community.
A Run Born From Love and Loss
In September, in the streets of Stratford‑upon‑Avon, Rohan Mahan - co‑founder of The Mission Planet - began an 80‑mile run that would come to define a pivotal chapter of the organisation’s journey.
The challenge was simple in concept, but profound in meaning: one mile for every year of his Nana’s life.
She had passed away at the age of 80 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and motor neurone disease - illnesses that slowly took her voice, her movement, and her independence. But they never took her compassion. She was, by every account, the greatest animal lover Rohan had ever known. Her dogs were family. She donated to animal charities every single month. She taught her family to care deeply, instinctively, and without condition.
This run was not about mourning her loss.
It was about celebrating her life - and the values she lived by.
Turning Grief Into Purpose
Just one week after losing his Nana, Rohan travelled to India with The Mission Planet to support street dog sanctuaries facing overwhelming cruelty, neglect, and suffering. Millions of dogs across the country are abused, starved, and voiceless.
In the eyes of those animals, Rohan recognised something painfully familiar: the same silent suffering he had witnessed in his Nana during her final months.
That moment crystallised the purpose behind the run.
Rather than turning away from pain, he chose to step into it - to transform personal grief into action for those who could not fight for themselves. The 80‑mile challenge became a bridge between two forms of suffering, united by compassion and the refusal to look away.
The Challenge: One Mile for Every Year
The run took place on the 27th of September - what would have been Rohan’s grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary, and the first his Grandad would spend without her.
Rohan set out to complete 80 miles in 24 hours.
He finished in 26 hours and 52 minutes.
But this was never a solo effort.
Over the course of the challenge, more than 30 people joined him. Friends, family members, and supporters came out at all hours - through rain, darkness, and exhaustion - to run alongside him for as much or as little as they could give.
Among them:
A 9‑year‑old boy completing a half marathon
First‑time marathon runners
Tom Dunn, Mission Planet co‑founder, running his first ultra (40 miles)
A 62‑year‑old woman who hadn’t run in 30 years, honouring her own parents lost to Alzheimer’s
Collectively, the group covered nearly 400 miles around Stratford‑upon‑Avon - the town Rohan’s Nana loved so dearly.
What emerged was something far more powerful than an endurance challenge. It was community in its purest form.
The Impact: £11,000 Raised, 400 Lives Protected
By the end of the run, the fundraiser had raised nearly £11,000.
The funds are being directed to two vital animal welfare sanctuaries:
🐾 Dharamsala Animal Rescue in Dharamsala — a grassroots rescue and treatment centre helping animals recover from abuse, injury, and neglect
🐾 HAS (Humane Animal Society) in Coimbatore — a long-standing sanctuary offering lifelong care, adoption, and veterinary services to abandoned and disabled animals
These are the same sanctuaries The Mission Planet had visited earlier in the year, documenting the harsh realities of life for India’s street dogs - and the incredible people working to change that.
In March 2026, The Mission Planet team will travel back to India to witness and document the sterilisation and rescue camp that his Nana’s legacy helped fund.
This marked the organisation’s largest fundraising achievement to date - and one of its most emotionally significant.
The Unexpected Legacy: A Community Is Born
What no one anticipated was what would come next.
The energy created during those 27 hours did not fade. Instead, it evolved into something lasting: The Be The Change Community.
Born directly from the people who showed up for the run, this initiative now meets every Monday at 5am in Stratford‑upon‑Avon. People of all ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds come together to:
Run together at their own pace
Set intentions and goals for the week ahead
Share gratitude and honest conversation
Support each other’s mental and physical wellbeing
As the community grew, so did its sense of responsibility. The group now partners weekly with the Stratford‑upon‑Avon Food Bank, donating urgently needed food items - ensuring that care extends beyond the group and into the wider community.
What began as one man’s tribute has become a shared commitment to showing up - for ourselves, for each other, and for those in need.
Why This Story Matters
This story is not only about Rohan, his Nana, or even The Mission Planet.
It is about anyone who has watched someone they love suffer.
Anyone who has felt helpless in the face of pain.
Anyone searching for a way to turn grief into something meaningful.
The 80‑mile run stands as a reminder that we may not be able to stop suffering - but we can choose what we do in response to it.
And when people come together with compassion, intention, and action, extraordinary change becomes possible
Watch the Journey
🎥 Watch the challenge announcement and documentary content on YouTube
👉 The Mission Planet on YouTube
📲 See the community announcement and impact on Instagram
👉 @bethechange.tmp
🌍 Follow the mission or support future projects
👉 Join the Mission
You don’t need to run 80 miles to be part of this.
You just need to care enough to show up.
Be the change.
