Record breaking
A Leeds Uni law graduate has completed an eye-watering 40 marathons in 40 countries, swapping revision notes for running shoes in a post-university endurance challenge that pushed him to the point of exhaustion.
Angus Read, who completed his LLB earlier this summer, took on the four-month challenge as a way of seeing Europe before starting full-time work. What started as a solo travel plan quickly became a serious physical and mental test, with runs ranging from the heat of Monaco to the freezing cold of Iceland.
The challenge saw Read — who documented his extraordinary efforts on TikTok — run a marathon roughly every three days, sometimes on official routes and at other times on improvised courses mapped out using the Strava app. Along the way, he raised more than £11,000 for Cancer Research UK in memory of his aunt, who died in 2014.
@angus_read Vilnius – an unexpected gem. #euro40404 #vilnius #lithuania #marathon #fyp @Cancer Research UK ♬ original sound – Angus Read
Speaking to BBC News, Read said the idea evolved while he was planning post-university travel, having originally intended to do some solo travelling around eastern Europe.
Despite having previously run just two marathons in Leeds, the law grad admitted he underestimated the scale of what he was taking on. “I hadn’t trained or dieted as well as I should have so I was a bit undercooked,” he said, adding that he had thrown himself “in the deep end” and figured it out as he went.
Highlights included running along the south coast of France from Nice to Monaco, which he described as “stunning”, as well as unexpected stops such as Tallinn in Estonia and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He completed most of the challenge alone, staying in hostels and juggling recovery with sightseeing in countries where he often spent only two or three days.
@angus_read The Penultimate Marathon- Dublin, Ireland. #dublin #ireland #guinness #euro40404 #runtok @Cancer Research UK ♬ original sound – Angus Read
By the later stages, the physical toll had become clear. Read said his left knee was causing him “quite a lot of pain” and that exhaustion was a major issue due to the lack of recovery time. “When I finished the challenge, my body kind of shut down in a way,” he said. “I had to go to A&E and I got diagnosed with severe fatigue slash exhaustion really from the whole trip.”
The final marathon ended at Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, London, with five friends joining him for the last stretch. “Obviously I was really happy and proud of what I’ve achieved but at the same time just getting over that line was a bit of a mission yesterday so I was… exhausted as you can imagine,” he said.
Read’s achievement is now pending official verification as a world record, on the basis that he would be the youngest person to complete 40 marathons in 40 countries. He now plans to take a few months off to recover before turning his attention to the legal jobs market in the new year. Not a bad way to stand out on a trainee application.