Marathon man drops in for his 129th race

WARRINGTON played its part in a marathon World Record attempt today.
Ben Smith, aged 33, ran is 129th marathon in the town as part of his attempt to break the record for the most marathons run consecutively by running 401 26.2 mile races in 401 days to raise money for charity.
He was supported by local runners.
Ben, from Bristol, started his challenge in his home town in September.
He has so far covered a distance of 3,405 miles in different locations across the UK and if he finishes all 401 marathons he will have ran 10,586 miles in just over 13 months.
Warrington Running Club supported Ben with his challenge by designing a route to show off what fantastic running opportunities there are in the town. Members and other runners from Warrington met him along the route with some joining him for the whole race.
Leisure and lifestyle service LiveWire showed their support for this epic challenge by providing the starting venue for the run at Orford jubilee Neighbourhood Hub, as well as providing facilities at the mid-point for the runners at Broomfields Leisure Centre.
The marathon challenge team were also given access to LiveWire’s facilities across the town in order to cool down and relax with a dip in one their pools to ensure they could recover to take on the next marathon on the list.
Ben was inspired to take on the challenge to raise £250,000 for charities Kidscape and Stonewall aimed at tackling bullying in our society – a topic close to Ben’s heart as he was bullied as a child and has had to deal with the impact of this throughout his life. These two
charities deliver award winning initiatives across the UK to tackle bullying in all forms.
Lisa Jefferies, founder of Warrington Running Club, said: “Warrington Running Club is thrilled to be selected by Ben and the 401 team to assist him in his inspirational challenge and help him raise awareness of bullying.”
Louise Shannon, community engagement and sports inclusion officer at LiveWire, said: “LiveWire is proud to support Ben to complete part of his challenge in Warrington. We would like to wish him every success as he goes on to complete the rest of his races around the country.”
Ben’s journey can be followed by visiting his website http://www.the401challenge.co.uk/