A five-strong team of Massey Ferguson dealers are attempting to run the New York Marathon on Sunday 3rd November 2024 to provide fundraising support for friend and colleague, Howard Warnes, MF’s combine area sales manager. 

Competing runners from MF dealerships include Emma Pugh, from RVW Pugh Ltd in mid Wales; Gavin Pell, from Chandlers covering central England; Graham Main and Marcus Bourne from Lincolnshire dealer Peacock and Binnington; and Wayne Rundle of Rundle and Co Agri in Cornwall. Massey Ferguson is sponsoring the team.

They are running to support Howard’s partner Laura, who was diagnosed with Acute Hemorrhagic Leucoencephalitis (AHLE), a very rare form of ADEM inflammatory disease of the brain, whilst seven months pregnant with their daughter. Thankfully, daughter Esme was born 10 weeks early without complications last December. However, Laura has a long road to recovery ahead, as Howard explains:

“The damage to Laura’s brain means she is unable to speak, move or feed herself. This is a huge shock from the outgoing, strong and determined person we knew before. We are raising money to adapt the house along with buying a specialist vehicle for Laura to get to her rehab sessions and visit her much-loved horses.”

The marathon team are of mixed running ability. Graham admits he has limited experience and has taken advice from a friend to build the distance slowly after struggling in the early stages, he is, in his own words, ‘still hating every mile but determined’. Emma describes herself as a ‘rusty runner’ and although has experience of a 26.2-mile course back in 2017, her trainers have collected dust since 2019. Gavin caught the running bug last year and completed the London Marathon in 2024. 

Lindsay Haddon Advertising and Sales Promotion Manager – Massey Ferguson UK, IRL and Middle East says: “All of these Massey Ferguson dealer principles and sales managers, along with some close colleagues of Howard’s, have dedicated their spare time to train for this mammoth task. The New York marathon is the largest in the world, established in 1970, the distance covers five boroughs and is 26.219 miles (42.195 km) long. To say we are proud of this team is an understatement but also of the courage that Howard has shown in dealing with such a heartbreaking setback. Massey Ferguson is proud to sponsor this event”.

Donations via a GoFundMe page set up by Howard are gratefully received

About AGCO

AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson®, Precision Planting® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services helps farmers sustainably feed our world. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of approximately $14.4 billion in 2023. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information, and events, please follow us on X: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on X, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.