Isle of Wight resident Neil McCall is running 50 marathons before his 50th birthday this September to raise money for the mental health charity MIND. But he’s not doing any of it by halves.
A keen runner, martial arts enthusiast, and multiple marathon entrant, Neil McCall grew up on the Island and runs a successful creative design business in Cowes. As a long-term supporter of MIND as well, marking his milestone birthday in this manner was in many ways an obvious decision. But it’s such an unbelievable challenge, even for a seasoned leisure athlete – it means he is running a marathon every Sunday.
Having clocked up 35 marathons as of Sunday 7th June, he rather rashly announced that if his fundraising total had reached £1,500 by the time he got to number 40, he would run that one dressed as Wonder Woman. His army of supporters decided this was going to happen and the total raised hit that magic number on the evening of 9th June. So he’s doing it. He will run marathon 40, dressed as Wonder Woman, on Sunday 12th July.
The marathons being run – a marathon being a distance of 26 miles 385 yards – are the first Neil has undertaken as a vegan. Veganism has become increasingly popular within sporting circles but it does produce nutritional challenges. Everyday eating is tricky enough if you’re to ensure you consume the nutrients you need to stay healthy but challenging your body to this extent makes it absolutely essential that you consume the correct food and take in sufficient calories as you are constantly training and pushing your body and mind to its limit.
With all organised marathons in the UK and abroad cancelled as the world tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, creativity has been required. Not one to let a global shutdown scupper a good challenge, since lockdown all of Neil’s marathons have taken place on the Island, with Neil exploring different routes each week.
You can follow Neil’s journey via his marathon journal at https://www.orangepeelcreativejuice.co.uk/journal/.
You can support Neil through a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/neil-50-50.
