“It’s gone incredibly well”, was the summing up by East Yorkshire man Sam Fletcher of his gruelling personal challenge of running 25 marathons in 25 days.
Sam, 34, of Anlaby, was inspired by his mum’s leukaemia journey to don running shoes and to cover the back-to-back marathon distances. His first run was the London Marathon, which took place on Sunday, April 27.
On consecutive days since, he has completed 26.2-mile runs – including the Newcastle Gateshead Marathon and the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. Sam ran his final marathon leg on Wednesday, May 21, coming home to hugs and a welcome drink in South Ella Way, Kirk Ella.
He said: “As painful and exhausting as it’s been, I’ve loved every day. I’ve made my family very proud, I’ve reconnected with friends I’ve not seen in years, I’ve met some new, wonderful people and, most importantly, I’ve managed to raise awareness and achieve far beyond what I expected, too.”
Over the 25 days, Sam has covered a total of 1,055km or 655 miles – that equates to 1.3 million steps – and burned 112,500 calories. Running at a pace of around 6min 49sec per kilometre, Sam’s average marathon time across the whole challenge has been 4hr 48min.
His JustGiving appeal target was set at £5,000 and he has smashed it, with a total of over £11,800 raised so far for Cure Leukaemia. The page is still open for any final donations from supporters.
Sam was inspired to do the challenge by his mum, Yvette, who has battled leukaemia for the past eight years. He previously said: “I want to do my part to help fund the treatments that give hope to patients like my mum.
(Image: supplied image)
“She has been fortunate to benefit from a tablet-based treatment with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy. She is currently in remission and that’s all thanks to research charities like Cure Leukaemia.”
Sam has been a dedicated runner since summer 2020, using running as a source of strength during challenging times. He managed the marathons around his full-time job as a technical manager at William Jackson Food Group.
Cure Leukaemia is a UK-based charity dedicated to funding innovative blood cancer treatments and clinical trials. Its work has already transformed many lives, and continued support is vital for future breakthroughs.
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