Runner celebrates beating ultramarathon record

Sam spends about five hours a day running, mostly along the Essex coast

A long-distance runner believes he has beaten the world record for the most ultramarathons completed on consecutive days by a man.

This week, Sam King from Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, said he had reached 61 ultramarathons since starting his challenge in September.

The world record attempt is yet to be verified but, according to Guinness World Records, the record stood at 60 ultramarathons in as many days.

Sam hopes his challenge, a fundraiser for the brain injury charity Headway, will continue for 79 days.

Sam King celebrated with his mum after he finished his 61st ultramarathon in as many days

The 32-year-old wanted to raise money for the charity after his mum, who he described as "the most amazing woman", suffered a bleed on the brain earlier this year.

"We were told that she wasn't going to survive," he said.

"We spent 24 hours at the hospital waiting for her to take her last breath and that just threw my whole life into perspective."

He quit his job in London and moved nearer to his hometown of Frinton-on-Sea so he could spend more time with her.

Sam says his mum is his best friend

He had planned to run 74 ultramarathons in as many days – one for each year of his mum's life before she became unwell – but he has extended the challenge to 79 days so it finishes on a weekend.

"What's an extra five days after running 74?" he laughed, before setting off on a run with a friend who was visiting from Exeter to support Sam's challenge.

His mum watched him finish his record-breaking run on Wednesday, which Sam said was "one of the best moments of my life".

Sam lost six stone (38kg) after taking up running as a hobby while living in London.

"To go from being an overweight gamer for most of my life to now be a world record holder is amazing," he said.

He runs 50km (31 miles) in about five hours each day, which is about the same distance as running from Wembley Stadium to Gatwick Airport.

"I struggled a lot through the first few weeks but I've adapted into it now. It's just incredible how your body can adapt to these things and how good I'm feeling."

He said he had already applied to Guinness World Records to contest the previous record set by Col Krishnan Badhwar in India in January 2023.

Sam records his efforts using two running watches and take lots of photos and videos ready to submit to an adjudicator at the end of his challenge.

"Hopefully they're happy and satisfied with the evidence at the end when I upload it," he added.

He has raised more than £40,000 for Headway and hopes to reach £74,000.