North Wales section Colwyn Bay and llandudno................Friday, 19th August 2016 REF Pioneer
10,506 miles, 19 pairs of trainers and 309 different locations.
On September 1 2015, Ben Smith, 34, decided he wanted to do something unique for two anti-bullying charities Stonewall and Kidscape. He was going to run 401 marathons in 401 consecutive days.
Ben, whose daily calorie intake is 6,500 calories, spoke to the North Wales Chronicle whilst running his 351st marathon.
He said: “The first 50 days were hell, my body wanted me to stop. The 51st day my body realised I wasn’t going to stop no matter what.”
Ben’s marathons have seen him be joined by 7,700 other runners with 1,000 of them running further than they have ever run before. The next leg of Ben’s epic journey brings him to North Wales where he will run in Colwyn Bay on August 19, Bangor on August 20, Holyhead on August 21 and Caernarfon on August 22.
Ben said: “I’ve only been to North Wales once and never to the places I’m running in. I’m really excited to get there, every day will be a new adventure.”
On the Bangor and Caernarfon routes, starting at 10 AM, Ben will be joined by students from Learners’ First College and Eryri Harriers.
As part of his trip the charity champion will also speak to Learners’ First College students about his previous experiences with bullying which saw him attempt to take his own life.
Ben said: “Running has helped me overcome my demons and I want to use my experiences to help other people overcome theirs.”
For more information on 401 including the routes in North Wales visit
www.the401challenge.co.ukhttp://www.the401challenge.co.uk/marathons/marathon-354-colwyn-bay