An Isle of Wight man who has set himself the epic task of running 12 marathons in 12 months for the NSPCC is celebrating, after completing the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday.
Glen Jones, from East Cowes, crossed the finish line after pounding the streets for 3hrs, 59mins and 20 secs.
Whilst many runners will no doubt be taking it easy for the next few days, there’s not much time for Glen to rest up as he will be pulling on his running shoes once again for the APB Southampton Marathon this Sunday (5th May).
The married father of 2, who has been a member of the Isle of Wight Road Runners for 4 years, said:
“The London Marathon went really well. I was pleased I finished in just under four hours and luckily I didn’t get any injuries. Last year I did it in 4hrs 3 mins despite the heat!
“My legs are a little sore and I’m hobbling around at the moment so I’m going to have a bit of a lazy week and a sports massage so come Sunday I’ll hopefully be OK.”
So far the 48-year-old has run the Excalibur One Marathon in Essex in 4hrs 55mins 23 secs (January); the Martello Marathon in Folkestone in 3hrs, 58mins and 56 secs (February), and the Excalibur Three Track Wars in Walton in 3hrs, 56mins and 7 secs (March).
Whilst July and November’s marathons are yet to be confirmed the others he is set to take part in are as follows:
• 9th June – Yeovil
• 18th Aug – Bath
• 8th Sep – New Forest
• 6th October – Isle of Wight
• 22nd December – Portsmouth Coastal Waterside
Glen’s aim is to raise £2,200 for the children’s charity, but it won’t all come from sponsorship money. He said:
“I’m also arranging a series of fundraising events throughout the year including two cocktail parties, prize draws and a race night.
“In March £725 was raised after 100 people took part in a running event I organised called the Friendly Frolic.”
Talking about why he chose to support the NSPCC Glen said:
“My wife Ruth and I are foster carers and some of the children we have cared for over the last 14 years have come from very challenging backgrounds so it feels like the right fit to run in aid of the NSPCC.
“I’ve run several marathons over the years but none of them were raising money for charity.
“I knew I had my place in the London Marathon this year but I didn’t think it was enough of a challenge for people to sponsor me so I decided to run 12 in 12 months instead in the hope it would encourage people to make a donation.”
For more details about Glen’s 2019 challenge visit https://onemoremarathon.co.uk/. To sponsor Glen visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GlenJones12.
