British man completes 365 straight marathons, earning a well-deserved beer

On Saturday, Gary McKee completed his 365-day run streak of a marathon every day in his hometown of Cleator Moor, U.K. Thousands of supporters and media were on hand to help him celebrate his accomplishment of covering more than 9,500 miles (15,289 kilometers) while raising more than $2,000,000 for charity. 

McKee’s marathon streak was not the only streak that ended. McKee went one year without drinking, and celebrated his huge run with a well-deserved cold one. The beer was a personalized craft IPA from Ennerdale Brewery in Cumbria, U.K., called “The Marathon Man 365 IPA”.  

McKee ran the final stretch with his friends and family and immediately thanked everyone who came out for all their support during his challenge: “The reason I’m doing this is that I’m lucky enough to be able to take on a physical challenge of this scale, and every day I think about all the people going through cancer treatment who face their own physical and emotional challenges.”

McKee ran for Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice in West Cumbria, which supported his father through a cancer diagnosis in 1997. His father recovered from cancer, but died from an unrelated illness in 2005.

McKee, who is himself a father of three, routinely woke up at 5 a.m. and headed out on his marathon before starting his work shift at 2 p.m.

Although McKee is considered to be the first British runner to run 365 consecutive marathons, Spanish ultrarunner Ricardo Abad Martinez holds the world record, with 607 marathons in 607 days between October 2010 and February 2012. 

McKee told local news he will take a break from marathoning over the next couple of weeks to spend time with his family before planning his next challenge.

posted Tuesday January 3rd
by Running Magazine