Awe-Inspiring Marathon Men

The word ‘legend’ is overused in modern sport. There are some athletes, however, for whom the term is simply insufficient. Last week, Shiplake’s top sportsmen and women were given a rare opportunity to meet two men whose achievements defy logic, challenging our scholars’ perceptions of what the human body and mind can achieve.

Rob Young (also known as Marathon Man UK) and Adam Holland arrived at the College on the final leg of an epic 25 day challenge. Between them, the ultrarunners had covered over 2,200 miles, accumulating an astonishing average of 80 miles per day. Challenges of this magnitude usually take months of preparation, with an extensive support network in place. Not the case for Rob and Adam, who are very much a two-man team. Whilst one carries the ‘Walk for Peace’ torch, the other cycles alongside providing moral, medical and technical support.

For most people, this would represent the ‘challenge of a lifetime’, but for Rob and Adam it is just another step on an incredible journey of world records. In spring 2014, Rob accepted a 20p bet from his wife that he could not complete a marathon. The very next day, Rob completed his first 26.2 mile journey. 365 days later, Rob had completed 370 marathons, smashing a remarkable succession of world records along the way. At one stage, he ran continuously, with no sleep, from Tuesday morning until Saturday evening, amassing 375 miles. You can read more about Rob’s incredible story on his website.

Rob and Adam joined the Walk for Peace having been inspired by elite runners they met on the ultrarunning circuit. The epic journey began in Kenya, with the baton passed across the world for a series of fundraising attempts to help young people across the world at risk of ethnic violence. Shiplake staff and pupils listened to the runners’ awe-inspiring tale of the gruelling physical challenges they have faced. Running through the pain of stress fractures, taking 20 mile detours after getting lost, and getting next-to-no sleep on park benches are all run of the mill inconveniences. Rob enjoyed fielding some challenging questions from the audience, explaining how he and Adam play games to distract them from the pain and monotony of continuous movement.

Year 9 runner Tom Nike, who won the recent junior cross country inter-House competition, described meeting the athletes as ‘amazing’. Tom took the opportunity to ask for advice on a recurring Achilles injury, and was delighted with Rob’s offer to lend him his ice compression machine!

PE Teacher and fitness enthusiast Mr Tom Walter, who invited the athletes to visit Shiplake en route from Reading to Henley, said: ‘The talk was both inspiring and motivating, leaving the students with fresh enthusiasm for their sport. Rob and Adam also kindly took the time to have a few photos taken with their newly found fans before they continued on their journey into London, where they handed the baton over to the USA runners for their leg of the incredible journey. We wish Rob and Adam all the best for their future challenges, with Rob aiming to beat more world records and Adam hoping to make the GB Olympic marathon squad next year.’

For more information about the Walk for Peace, please click here.