Man 'excited' for six ultra marathons in six days

Simon Pilkington will be starting his challenge at London Marathon on 27 April

A man planning to run six ultra marathons in six days said he is excited and nervous after not running more than 15 miles "in years".

Simon Pilkington, 42, from Bristol, will cover about 180 miles (289.6km) to raise money for Oliver's Wish, which helps charities supporting babies, children and young people.

The organisation is named after two-year-old Oliver Dowling, who died in 2015 from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). Oliver's dad, Rob Dowling, from West Sussex, will join Mr Pilkington on his challenge.

Their first run will be London Marathon on 27 April, which they will extend to Paddington station before running five more ultras along canal and river paths to Bristol.

Mr Pilkington first raised money for Oliver's Wish at a charity boxing match

Mr Pilkington first raised money for Oliver's Wish when he learnt to box two years ago for a match with his iGaming industry colleagues. The group went on to raise £152,000 for the charity.

"This time I wanted a bigger challenge to try to raise even more money for them," he said.

Mr Pilkington completed the London Marathon before, in 2013, but had been unsuccessful in his applications every year since.

When he heard he had been successful for the 2025 event, he said he had just finished a book by ultra marathon sea swimmer Ross Edgely and was feeling "far too inspired".

"I found a run that takes place in July, going from Paddington to Bristol using the canal pathways, and thought I could use that plan after the marathon," he said.

"The charity was really happy me for me to do it, so it very quickly came together."

He said although he is in a "weird phase" of excitement and self-doubt as the challenge gets closer, his wife and children have continued to inspire him.

Oliver's Wish was set up in Oliver Dowling's name after he died at two years old

Mr Dowling, 50, has said he hopes the challenge will not only raise money for his son's foundation but will "inspire others to be involved".

"Simon's challenge is just incredible and once I learned what he was taking on, I knew I had to support him on this journey," he said.

Rob Dowling will be completing the challenge almost 10 years after his son's death

Mr Pilkington said he is breaking his training down to experience the fatigue of long-distance running while focusing on avoiding injury.

"So far, wearing barefoot trainers, I've not had a blister yet," he said.

He said he is focused on nutrition, practicing what he can eat while running, and using ice baths for recovery.

"Although I'm not a big cold water fan, they've been really helpful," he said. "But I can't take them with me."

"Every day is about the brain and mindset getting you through it," he added.

Mr Pilkington said he has not run more than 15 miles "for years"

Some people are planning on joining the duo for sections of the challenge.

"[We have] lots of friends joining on day six, because we're finishing at the pub in Westbury," he joked.

"And one thing I'm looking forward to is soaking up the atmosphere as I didn't really get a chance to enjoy that last time when I was running London Marathon, because I was so focussed on trying to get a personal best time."