Jack goes the distance for Rennie Grove Peace

Marathon marvel and St Albans resident, Jack Brooks, achieved a personal record of 600 marathons last weekend, when he completed the Cannock Chase Forest Trail Marathon to raise money for Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care.

With sun throughout the day, the multi-distance marathon was a harder than expected challenge for 72-year-old Jack – an experienced runner and member of the 100 Marathon Club.

Jack says:

“I got round the marathon in 7:11:34 and it was absolutely brutal with 3,081 ft of elevation gain and never-ending hills! Not only were many of the hills really steep, but the surface of sand and loose stones made the uphills exhausting and some of the downhills fairly scary. Whilst the rest of the country welcomed the sunshine, I was wishing for rain! It got pretty hot at times, and I’d probably have appreciated some light showers!”

Jack’s marathon journey started in 1990 when he was in his 30s and agreed to run the Lincoln Half Marathon with friends. The London Marathon followed the next year, and he was soon travelling the globe and running up to 30 marathons a year.

Jack continues:

“I found this marathon particularly challenging, but it helped to run with my good friend Warren D’Rozario who accompanied me for the whole event and kept me going when I started to flag. I’ll be taking it easy this week!”

Over the years Jack has raised huge amounts of money for charity and for his 600th marathon on 22 June, he chose to fundraise for us so we can continue to offer free specialist hospice care and support for local patients and families.

Tracey Hancock, our Director of Fundraising, says:

“Congratulations to Jack on completing this incredible feat. It sounds like his 600th marathon was a real challenge, and he did amazingly well to complete it on such a hot day, and despite difficult terrain.

“Jack has already raised an incredible sum of money and is so close to his fundraising target. Every penny raised will be used to provide vital hospice care to people in our community who are living with a progressive life-limiting illness. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Jack for his incredible effort and to everybody who has donated and helped him raise such a fantastic amount.”

To help Jack reach his £2,000 target, donate today via his JustGiving Page.