Ben Smith (runner)
Ben Smith is a marathon runner who completed 401 marathons in 401 days in England between 2015 and 2016.[1] He began his run on September 1, 2015 and ran for 284 consecutive marathons until a back injury forced him to stop for 10 days. He later resumed and finished with 401 marathons[2][3] with a total of raised £330,000 for Kidscape and Stonewall.[4][5] In 2016, he received the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. [6]
Smith wrote the book 401:The Extraordinary Story of the Man Who Ran 401 Marathons in 401 Days and Changed His Life Forever about his struggles with mental health, bullying, and divorce.[7]
He started a foundation called the 401 Foundation to provide grants to organizations and individuals to focus on self-esteem and mental health.[7]
He announced in early 2021 that he will run and cycle 14,000 miles across 50 US states in 104 days in 2021, assuming COVID-19 restrictions allow.[8]
Awards and honors[edit]
- 2016: ITV Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards[9][10]
- 2016: Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards[3]
- 2016: the Power of Light Award from the Cabinet Office and former PM Theresa May[11]
- 2016: TedxYouth Talk on December 3, 2016[12]
References[edit]
- ^ "Charity runner wins Helen Rollason Award". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Lincolnshire marathon hero Ben Smith wins Pride of Britain award". lincolnshirereporter.co.uk. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ a b "A man ran 401 marathons in 401 days and this is what happened to his mind and body". The Independent. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "Charity runner completes 401st marathon". BBC News. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Man To Run Back-To-Back Marathons In Each US State To Raise £1m For Charity". www.ladbible.com. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ Young, Eleanor. "Ben Smith reveals mammoth 2020 challenge to raise £1million". North Somerset Times. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ a b "Meet the man who ran 401 marathons in 401 days". inews.co.uk. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Man who ran 401 marathons starts virtual challenge". BBC News. 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "401 runner to run a marathon in every US state capital | ITV News". ITV News. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Ben Smith - Pride of Britain Awards". www.prideofbritain.com. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ Bar, Raise the. "Ben Smith | 401 Challenge - Motivational Diversity & Inclusion Speaker". Raise the Bar. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Happiness". December 3, 2016.