Peter Thompson needed a new challenge so he decided to run the Tour de France course in 70 days

The feeling of needing a challenge to keep stimulated is something many can empathise with. A 10k to keep fit, a triathlon to burn off Christmas excesses, maybe even an Iron Man for the seriously dedicated. But when you have already completed a marathon in an elite time of 2hr 25min and run 44 marathons in 44 different countries in 44 consecutive days, it is a little harder to find an appropriate test. This was the dilemma facing 34-year-old Peter Thompson, who on Wednesday completed the challenge of running the Tour de France route and finishing it before the cyclists. To stand a chance of achieving this feat, Thompson, who works in the voluntary sector helping isolated individuals, set out seven weeks before the Tour started. This meant that as he completed his odyssey he had been running for 70 days straight. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Thursday on his way home to Bournemouth, Thompson said: “It’s been an amazing experience. My girlfriend Sally’s been with me and supported me the whole time, and I think she’s forgiven me now!” After rediscovering his love for running with the 44-marathon challenge last year, Thompson began his Tour de France attempt on May 19. Over the course of 10 weeks he has grappled with blazing 95F (35C) heat and grass verges where one false step could mean a fatal fall off the side of a mountain. There were moments when he felt he could not go on but the incentive of “breathtakingly beautiful” mountain views always kept him going. At the finish line, Thompson felt “huge excitement and pride” but was too exhausted to have a big celebration, only managing a couple of beers with his girlfriend before conking out at 10pm. To compensate he is planning a party at the weekend with friends and family.

posted Thursday July 26th