This weekend we will welcome Ben Smith back to Cumbria. Ben will be setting off on his 327th consecutive Marathon tomorrow in Carlisle!
Ben is running 401 marathons in 401 days and has been running a marathon a day since 1st September, by the end of the challenge he will have run the equivalent distance of London to Sydney. Ben has endured a number of problems along the way including swollen knees and ankles, severe tendonitis in the shins, and a broken big toe, but the determined 33-year-old has managed to carry on. He was forced to suspend his journey after crippling back pain in June caused by a bulging disc, but after just a few days off his feet he vowed to be back and is doing extra running on top of his marathon-a-day to catch up with the days he missed.
Ben took on the challenge to raise awareness of bullying after he was abused at boarding school for being gay. He is running for two inspiring charities Stonewall (www.stonewall.org.uk) and 'Kidscape' (www.kidscape.org.uk) and his amazing efforts have been raising the profile of not only the benefits of physical health, but of mental health challenges, anti-discrimination and anti-bullying.
This visit is his third visit to Cumbria, he was here in February and then again in March.