401

by Ben Smith

  FEBRUARY 2016 IN NUMBERS

  Marathons: 29

  Miles run: 768.5 (average per day: 26.5)

  Running time: 157:13.56 hours (average per day: 5:25.18)

  Number of people run with: 551

  Distance personal bests: 87

  First marathons/ultra-marathons: 40

  Pints of cider: 15

  Flat whites: 29

  In Sunderland, on day 183, it occurs to me that I’ve been on the road for six months non-stop. My beard is out of control, growing in several different directions at once, and my hair’s a mess. I look almost feral. Kyle tells me I don’t grow a beard like a ‘normal’ person, apparently it grows more like the gills you see on the raptors in Jurassic Park. What started out as a modest pile of dirty laundry in my van has grown almost mountainous and it’s beginning to get a bit embarrassing, asking to use people’s washing machines:

  ‘Give it here, I’ll do it.’

  ‘No! It’s alright, best I do it myself…’

  Sunderland is where we meet lovely couple Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley, as well as Aly Dixon, who competed in the marathon for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics. Steve is a massive Sunderland fan and gets us in the VIP box to watch a match, while Aly and the Sunderland Strollers get right behind the project. Linking up with Steve and Allison turns out to be a pivotal moment because without those two pulling a few strings, millions wouldn’t have heard my story…

  ••••••••••

  Allison Curbishley, BBC broadcaster and former GB Olympian: The secretary of the Sunderland Strollers forwarded me an email from Ben’s 401 operations team, which was essentially his dad. It was quite a long email, explaining the Challenge and asking if any of the Strollers would like to organise a route and run with him. I rang Ben’s dad, had a long chat, immediately fell in love with the project and really wanted to help. I said we’d add Steve’s name to the event, to add a bit of regional stardust, rustle up some local media interest and contact some schools for Ben to drop in and talk to. And I hadn’t even met Ben yet! But my hunch was right. As soon as I met him, I thought: ‘I love this guy.’ Within about 20 minutes, he’d told me all about Kyle, showed me pictures of him, and I felt like I’d known him for years. We joined him for a school visit, halfway through his run, and Steve ran the last six miles with him. Meanwhile, I’d spoken to a couple of people at the BBC, and Ben ended up talking to Chris Evans on Radio 2 and 5 Live, who just happened to be doing a show about bullying. We even managed to get him a free lunch at Frankie and Benny’s – we told them about this mad idiot who was doing this Challenge and they put a spread on for him and about 10 of the Strollers. After that first day, it just snowballed into this great friendship.

  I assumed he was going for a Guinness World Record until he explained that they hadn’t even applied. That told me he was doing it for all the right reasons. He wasn’t doing this for Ben Smith to break records and become a legend, he was doing it purely to raise awareness about issues that were close to his heart and to help lots of people. It was clever how he got the clubs to buy into the project, challenging people to run personal bests with him and organise routes. But there were some days when it was literally just him. It’s difficult to imagine what he was going through, getting up on day 320, or whatever day it was, and running a marathon in howling wind and rain. But the intimacy and immediacy of social media meant he was able to give people a taste of it, even if he was running in deepest, darkest Scotland, and the running community was able to get behind him and egg him on. So I was never really concerned about his mental strength because he seemed to be feeding off all that support and the people he was meeting every day.

  Steve Cram, former 1500m world champion, 1500m and mile world record holder: As soon as we met him, we realised what a great guy he was and what a great story he had. We just hit it off, we had a similar sense of humour and he was very self-deprecating. You sometimes meet people doing those types of challenges who are very locked into themselves, for obvious reasons. But Ben wasn’t like that, he had all this energy and enthusiasm that he was able to spread to everybody around him. I found it remarkable that he was able to be so engaging when he’d already been on the road for so long and was constantly meeting people for the first time. I admired that so much because it was something I could never do. When I’m knackered and fed up, all I want to do is take myself off somewhere and grumble to myself.

  We spent that first day running with him and soon got what his ethos was. In Durham, a group called Mums on the Run presented him with this fantastic rainbow cake, the best cake I’d ever seen in my life – multi-layered and multi-coloured and everything. During my running career, I ate bacon sandwiches and cake and all sorts, so why not? There is a bit of snobbishness in the running community, and some traditionalists might turn their noses up at anyone who completes a marathon in five or six hours. But they’re missing the point of what running has to offer people. We shouldn’t denigrate anybody who wants to run: how long it takes is not the point and never has been. It’s about getting off your sofa and having a go. We need that more traditional approach as well, because that’s what produces elite athletes, but Ben is all about just getting people out running.

  We helped Eddie Izzard in 2012, the first time he attempted to run 27 marathons in 27 days across South Africa. I remember trying to impress on him what it would take, in terms of preparation. When people embark on those types of challenges, I don’t think any of them realise what they’re letting themselves in for. The human body is incredibly resourceful and adapts very well, but if it does decide to break down, there’s not much you can do about it, however positive your mindset. That happened to Eddie the first time around, when he had to stop after four marathons. But Ben retained this ability to not look too far ahead, not look beyond the day he was in, the marathon he was in, even the mile he was in. As an athlete, I trained hard every single day, twice a day, while elite marathon runners typically do 20 miles a day, 140 miles a week. But the idea of somebody getting up every day and running a marathon for 401 days, while still being able to give all this energy to everybody around them, was phenomenal to me.

  ••••••••••

  RUNNER TAKING ON MARATHON-A-DAY CHALLENGE REACHES SCOTLAND

  GLASGOW EVENING TIMES,

  11 MARCH 2016

  ‘…I’m feeling tired, but I’m not going to complain…’

  ••••••••••

  DAYS 184–201: A mix-up means I’m on my own again in Northumberland on day 191, but this is where I have my magic moment on the beach – Holy Island stretched out in front of me, Bamburgh Castle to my left, sun directly above me, not a soul to share the view with, 5000 miles done! – and it makes for a nice bit of meditation. I think the locals feel bad about nobody turning up, because the following day, a member of Tweed Striders running club pipes me over the bridge into Scotland. I try not to cry, but it’s such a beautiful moment.

  Eight days later in Glasgow, I pass the halfway stage, and am party-poopered to within an inch of my life after finishing. Time to take stock: 201 marathons done, 200 marathons to go. On the minus side, I’m sick and tired of being wet and cold; on the plus side, I’ve now run with 3,300 people from something like 190 clubs. Over 350 people have run distance personal bests, about 140 of them marathons. We’ve also raised over £40,000, which is great, but still a whopping £210,000 short of the target. Even after 201 marathons, there are still people who don’t think I’m serious and I still don’t really know how the project is being perceived. There has been a lot of local media attention, but not a lot nationwide. The lack of coverage is a little bit demoralising, but I understand it. The press likes to have a complete narrative to work with, and that wasn’t going to be the case until marathon number 401, or unless something went wrong. And while the celebrations in Scotland are lovely, I’m very much aware I still have another 200 marathons to run, which is really quite scary.

  ••••�
��•••••

  Trish Divine, one of Scotland’s finest: My husband and I are members of a Facebook group called Run for Your Life, so when we discovered Ben was heading to Scotland, I got in touch with the 401 team, which was actually his dad. Before we knew it, we were tasked with mapping out a marathon route for him.

  About a week before the run, Pete phoned and said Ben was a bit stuck for accommodation, so we ended up putting him up for a few nights. Sometimes you meet people who are special and it’s hard to pinpoint why. I used to work in sales and often say to people: ‘You only get a short amount of time to make a first impression.’ And Ben made an enormous first impression in the shortest time. He just had that rare gift, he didn’t even have to try. He was very open and exuded warmth. He had no airs and graces and put us at ease. He had this incredibly smiley face and was a chatterbox. I thought I talked a lot, but he was a different level! But it wasn’t ‘The Ben Show’, he wasn’t consumed by his own world, he was genuinely interested in us. Ben was getting organised in the bedroom when Jim walked through and said: ‘I can tell that this is going to be a friendship for life…’ It’s worked out that way.

  Jim Divine, another of Scotland’s finest: Both of us have been on the receiving end of bullying. We’re a lot older than Ben, but Trish can vividly remember being bullied at school. It never took her to the brink of wanting to take her own life, but on her vulnerable days, dark shadows appear. But there’s nothing like speaking to someone else who’s been there. How does Ben trust and like people after what people did to him? That takes enormous strength.

  We did nine or 10 runs with him during the Challenge; hundreds of people turned up and everyone was in it together. It wasn’t about being divisive or elitist, it was about the power of people doing something good together. Whoever turned up, it didn’t matter how fast they were, how big they were, how old they were, they were included in this growing community. I think a lot of runners forget that at times. We all started somewhere, and all struggled with our running at some point. Ben didn’t care if people were coming out to run for the very first time, he made them feel so welcome and made them realise that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

  The first time we ran, a guy at the start said: ‘Right, I’m off to make tea and cakes for you.’ We were like: ‘What?!’ We got about six or seven miles in, stopped at this guy’s house and he had a big spread laid out for us – tea, cake, coffee and biscuits. Then, about an hour later, we stopped at a pub. Ben had bruschetta, burger and chips and a pint of cider, all on the house. People were gobsmacked. One of the guys was a regular marathon runner, and we looked at each other and said: ‘I might be able to manage a bowl of soup…’ But a few runs later, we were tucking into huge meals as well. That’s definitely the way to do a marathon!

  MARCH 2015 IN NUMBERS

  Marathons: 31

  Miles run: 824 (average per day: 26.6)

  Running time: 160:57.29 hours (average per day: 5:11.32)

  Number of people run with: 477

  Distance personal bests: 61

  First marathons/ultra-marathons: 27

  Pints of cider: 16

  Flat whites: 31

  ••••••••••

  MAN RUNNING 401 MARATHONS IN 401 DAYS RETURNS TO WARRINGTON

  WARRINGTON GUARDIAN,

  6 APRIL 2016

  ‘…Ben Smith, 33, was supported by more than 100 runners, walkers and joggers along the route…’

  ••••••••••

  DAYS 202–238: I’m not in Scotland long this first time, as I have to get back down into England for the start of the official marathon season in April, starting with Manchester on day 223, which is the first time it really hits home how many people know about the Challenge. There are people cheering my name, asking for selfies and autographs, giving me high fives, fellow runners slapping me on the back and hugging me, many of whom I’ve already run with in other parts of the country, and I think: ‘You know what? We might only have raised 40 grand so far, but we’re beginning to have an impact and possibly change people’s lives. Let’s keep doing what we’re doing.’

  At the Brighton Marathon the following weekend, on days 230 and 231, BBC Sport comes and films me for a piece to be broadcast during the London Marathon, a week later.

  People had been getting onto Eddie Izzard on Twitter, saying: ‘Have you seen what this bloke is doing?’ Brilliantly, he got on board and started tweeting about it. Others were getting a bit agitated that the BBC were ignoring me (which wasn’t strictly true – some of the regional news programmes had been really supportive), but the BBC do their bit at the London Marathon to make the project explode. As well as the short film they show during the race, I’m given a wristband that says ‘celebrity’ (which amuses Kyle no end), plonked in a tent and interviewed by BBC Breakfast, Radio 2, Radio 4, 5 Live and various TV news programmes.

  Gabby Logan interviews me on the start line, I’m chased down the Embankment by Colin Jackson and a camera follows me down The Mall on rails. I spot Kyle in the crowd, head straight for him and I’m shown on national television giving him the biggest kiss. Immediately I think: ‘Well, if anybody didn’t know before, they certainly do now…’ I hug Tolu and Allison and the person next to Allison, who I suddenly realise is Paula Radcliffe. It’s all so surreal and wonderful.

  ••••••••••

  Allison Curbishley: After those first few days in the North East, we put Ben’s team in contact with as many people as we could in other parts of the country. We knew Ben wasn’t well-resourced or experienced in terms of media relations, but he had such an inspirational story, we felt it was important that it was heard by as many people as possible. Nowadays, you have to do something really out there to interest the media, but I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard about Ben before I did. Steve Cram told the BBC about Ben at a London Marathon planning meeting, and they hadn’t heard about him either. So Steve just said: ‘Look, it’s a brilliant story, he’s brilliant on camera, you’ve got to get him on.’ That’s when they sent a film crew down to Brighton and made this brilliant film. While Ben was running in London, I said to Kyle: ‘As soon as they drop Ben’s film into the coverage, when they’ve got 2.4m people watching, your donations will go through the roof.’ I was stood with Kyle at the finish line when it happened, and everything went crazy – the donations, the social media, emails, texts, the lot.

  He was just so lovable and articulate, without sounding self-pitying. He just seemed so genuine and was able to tell his story in a way that everyone could buy into it. Some of these big challenges I hear about seem a bit forced and it’s all about the person rather than the cause. It might sound strange, but Ben rarely talks about himself – he talks about all the bad stuff he went through instead, which is almost like hearing him talk about another person. That’s the thing I find most interesting about him, the fact he was able to flick a switch in his head, put all that rubbish behind him and change his life completely. And now, having done that, it’s like the floodgates have opened. Suddenly he feels confident enough to share his story with everybody. He passionately wants to get rid of bullying, he passionately wants acceptance and equality for all people, and I just think it’s brave to speak out about that kind of stuff. That’s the reason he attained almost this cult following and The 401 Challenge became like a family.

  I love to talk and I love listening and I love a good story, and most runners are the same. All most people want is an easy life and a happy life, and when you see other people who have made choices to make themselves happy and do good things and give something back, you want to go on that journey with them.

  ••••••••••

  The following morning, day 238, I’m meant to be running in Bromley, but I’m invited on Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 breakfast show. So I’m up very early after a crazy night, jump on a Tube and am greeted outside Broadcasting House by a gang of running club members, all wanting to wish me good l
uck, which was very sweet. At the front desk, I tell them I’m here for the Chris Moyles show, I don’t know why that name came into my mind, I knew who I was meeting – that’s how tired my brain is. The receptionist looks at the security guard and they both raise their eyebrows as if to say: ‘Who is this muppet?’ Thankfully, Chris and his sports reporter Vassos [Alexander], who has written his own book about running [Don’t Stop Me Now, Bloomsbury], are lovely. We see an immediate spike in donations and suddenly £250,000 actually seems achievable. But the glamour, if you can call it that, is short-lived. After my spot, I have to get a Tube across London, drive from Docklands to Bromley and run another marathon. Well, nobody asked me to do it…

  APRIL 2016 IN NUMBERS

  Marathons: 30

  Miles run: 796.9 (average per day: 26.6)

  Running time: 157:57.48 hours (average per day: 5:15.56)

  Number of people run with: 1050

  Distance personal bests: 98

  First marathons/ultra-marathons: 37

  Pints of cider: 15

  Flat whites: 30

  Chapter 10

  Problems Staying Straight

  DAYS 239–249: Milton Keynes Marathon in the can, I make my way up through Corby, visiting 19 schools in and around Grantham, in conjunction with Inspire+, a charity set up to provide quality PE and sport in schools. Spring has sprung, the weather is glorious and the kids are going ballistic. If even just one of those kids is inspired to do something they never thought they could, or gains strength from my story, it will have all been worth it. However, the next couple of days have been playing on my mind for a few weeks now, because it’s time to return to my old school where so many of my demons came into being. I had been asked to give a talk to the whole school by the new headmaster. My old headmaster left a couple of years ago, but what I don’t want to do is stand up in front of all those kids and say, ‘It’s not as bad now as when I was here’, without knowing for sure.