Man Runs a Marathon in This Very Small Backyard

James Campbell had an interesting 32nd birthday
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 1, 2020 3:35 PM CDT
Man Runs a Marathon in This Very Small Backyard
James Campbell runs a charity marathon to raise funds for the NHS, in his garden, while the country is in lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus, in Cheltenham, England, Wednesday April 1, 2020.   (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Being stuck at home didn't stop a British man from running an outdoor marathon. James Campbell, a former professional javelin thrower, spent his 32nd birthday on Wednesday doing 20-foot shuttles from one end of his small backyard to the other after promising to run a marathon if one of his Twitter messages received 10,000 retweets. By the time Campbell completed the marathon in just over five hours, he had raised more than $22,000 for Britain’s National Health Service to help battle the coronavirus pandemic.

The AP reports the effort—labelled the #6metregardenchallenge—was live-streamed, with former England soccer great Geoff Hurst among the viewers. Neighbors poked their heads over the backyard fence to give Campbell encouragement. Campbell ran across a patch of grass, some stones, and a small patio in 20-foot stretches. He calculated he would have to traverse his yard at least 7,000 times to reach 26.2 miles. (This man did it in 23-foot increments.)

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