One man will run through Kent over the next week as he continues his challenge of running 401 marathons in just 401 days for charity.

On September 1st 2015 Ben Smith began his challenge of a lifetime which sees him run 401 marathons in 401 consecutive days around 309 different locations of the UK, breaking a world record in the process.

The aim is to raise £250,000 for two fantastic charities, ‘Stonewall’ and ‘Kidscape’. Both these charities work tirelessly to combat bullying in our schools and society.

With a collaborative approach to planning this challenge, over the past 2 years, Ben has been able to involve over 250 EA approved running clubs throughout the UK, over 300 qualified therapists and are working to involve over 100 schools, all of which are designed to support The 401 Challenge with either routes, therapy or opportunities to talk within their school on the subject of bullying.

Having been bullied himself at school, Ben decided to raise funds for the two fantastic charities and explains what got him into running:

“Around 3 years ago I started running; I got into it as a way of reducing stress in my life. I was overweight, depressed and needed something to focus on.”

“I can’t count the number of times I had watched the Virgin London Marathon on TV and wished I could do something like that. I started with running a few miles and then built this up and completed a few 10K races and then my first half marathon in 2012.”

“The feeling I got from running was a sense of accomplishment I had never felt before, I was hooked. Having never been very good at sport at school you could say I had started from nothing which made the achievement even sweeter.”

“Around 2 years ago I decided to plan a challenge that at the time I honestly didn’t feel like I would be able to do; this is where The 401 Challenge was born.”

“In 2013 I completed my first two marathons, then in 2014 I completed 18 marathons within a year all around the world and this year alone I have completed 10 marathons of which 7 were back to back marathons in the States.”

“My confidence has grown massively, with 30 marathons under my belt in just 2 years, a wealth of knowledge gained from working with some of the best health professionals around I feel as ready as I will ever be to take on board this huge rewarding challenge.”

“Having a close network of friends, family and sponsors on board has been integral to the success of The 401 Challenge so far. The strength they have given me to accept who I am has led me to be able to use my own experiences from my past and present to stand up and be counted when it comes to stamping out bullying.”

“It’s important to point out, The 401 Challenge isn’t about being a victim, the challenge is about showing people that no matter what you go through growing up there can always be a positive outcome if you want there to be.”

The 33 year old has already completed over fifty marathons with number 50 taking place in Folkestone on Tuesday with the 51st having taken place today in Dover.

There’s still time to support Ben in Kent over the coming days with marathon 52 taking place in Ramsgate and Margate on Thursday, marathon 53 will be where Ben equals the official world record on Friday and then he’ll be out there making history when he makes it marathon 54 on Saturday in Canterbury.

After a quick dash back to take part in the official Bristol to Bath marathon on Sunday, Ben will be back in Kent next week for marathons 56-59 as he runs through Sittingbourne, Ashford, Maidstone and Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Running right through Christmas and the New Year, Ben will be back in Kent in 2016 the day after the official London Marathon, running through Bromley on Monday 25th April, before moving on to Dartford on Tuesday 26th April.

Ben will finally complete his challenge on Wednesday 5th October 2016 back in Bristol where it all began.

You too can support Ben in this challenge in a variety of ways. Visit www.the401challenge.co.uk how you could be involved.