Runner completes 19 marathons in 19 days for coronavirus relief
A runner from the Isle of Man has gone the distance — and beyond — to raise money for coronavirus relief.
Christian Varley finished his final 26.2-mile effort between Peel and the island’s capital of Douglas in four hours and 39 minutes, his 19th marathon in 19 days. In the nearly three-week test of endurance, he has raised $102,000 (£83,243) for the Manx Solidarity Fund at the time of writing.
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The charity has been established in response to difficulties brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic on the Isle of Man, and Varley has more than quadrupled his initial target of $23,250 (£19,000).
“What a special day that was. I think I’m going to struggle topping that,” Varley, who won last year’s Isle of Man Marathon, told Manx Radio.
“The running side of it is kind of forgotten now, just that finale there and even going back to the start of the run; the amount of people out beeping their horns, it was just like the day was designated to me.
“The support was just unbelievable. I knew there would be people there at the finish, (but) I had no idea what was coming and the way they finished it off with me going up to collect my daughter — I’ve never been so emotional to be honest.”
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There have been 335 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on the Isle of Man and 24 deaths. Members of the public are permitted to gather in groups of up to 10 people from different household but social distancing rules remain in place.
Varley isn’t the only athlete inspired to take up epic feats of endurance during the lockdown.
In March, Frenchman Elisha Nochomovitz ran the length of a marathon on his 23-foot balcony in the city of Balma in a time just shy of seven hours.
Last month, meanwhile, chef and restaurant owner Matt Louis ran 26.2 miles on a treadmill on the day he was scheduled to run the postponed Boston Marathon to raise money for unemployed members of his staff.
