Marathon season is upon us, but one Kent man is closing in on his 365th in the space of just 365 days!

That’s right. 365 marathons in just 365 days. It barely seems possible, but Ben Rogers from East Malling in Maidstone is little over two weeks away from completing his epic challenge.

Ben started his journey on Sunday 24th April 2016 with the London Marathon being the first of the 365 and in a few weeks time the father of two will hope to finish this mammoth feat again at London.

I was fortunate enough to be standing on the start line at London all those weeks ago and have loved every minute of running with Ben over this past year, although I must confess I’ve not put in the miles he has!

Raising much needed funds for Pilgrims Hospices and MacMillan Cancer Support after his step-father Doug Chaffer passed away from kidney cancer, Ben has gone about his challenge without seeking personal acclaim or the coverage he probably deserves.

Fitting in his marathons around his working and family life, Ben often gets up in the middle of the night, runs his 26.2 miles, comes home and then gets on with a normal day – feeding the cats, taking the kids to school, going to work…

I first met Ben back in October 2015 when we both joined up with another Ben, Ben Smith, who went on to complete 401 marathons in 401 days.

That day changed my life for the better. I met two incredibly inspirational people who encouraged me to run the full 42 kilomtetres when I’d only ever planned to run a few!

Both Ben Smith and Ben Rogers have become great friends of mine and they’re inspiring so many people, proving that the impossible is possible.

I’m just a novice marathon runner compared to these guys and I know how much each marathon takes out of your body, so to get up the following day and do it all again is simply staggering.

It’s not to say Ben has found the past year easy. He too has struggled with injuries and has had to play catch up with his miles.

When you total it up, by the time Ben ends this challenge on Sunday 23rd April, he will have run 9,563 miles in the space of a year. That’s equivalent to running between London and the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

In the week that the British Heart Foundation published figures showing that 20 million Brits couldn’t even run for a bus, Ben has shown he really does go the extra mile.

What’s impressed me the most about running with Ben is his enthusiasm and zest for life. Ben will talk to everyone and anyone that will listen, but he will spend time talking about them and not himself.

That sums him up.

This weekend we will line up together on the start line at Brighton Marathon and I can’t wait.

Having run the Dartford Half Marathon together only a few weeks ago, Ben and I have spent a fair amount of time with some other great guys running, with Lee and Nicola Allen, Brendon Davey, Emma Richardson-Smith and Catherine Hayward all joining us on the start line this weekend.

That’s the most pleasing part of this coming weekend. We’ll all be starting together and the unity between us is something else.

Everyone will be pleased for one another and the thrill of seeing each other finish will surpass our own achievements.

The one fly in the ointment though is Ben still hasn’t got a place for the London Marathon.

I find that rather disappointing and I’m hoping someone, somewhere will see sense and let him be on the start line in a few weeks time.

For Ben to have come so far and then not be given the chance to end this challenge in style would be galling.

I’m hoping common sense prevails and Ben is there in London on Sunday 23rd April and given that chance to run down The Mall to complete what has been a phenomenal challenge.

You too can show your support for Ben here:

uk.virginmoneygiving.com/365MarathonMan