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Joshua Weller has completed the last leg of his 496-day challenge - one that has led to him running close to 3,000km.
The running man from Leybourne had completed at least 5km for every one of those days and the finale was a distance of 49.6km. The total distance over the challenge was 2,920.2km over a period of 230hrs 6mins.
At the end of his final run he admitted his “legs were done” and his feet were bleeding but his fundraising total for Lupus UK now stands at £6,800 and rising.
He’ll now have time to recover before tackling the London marathon if that takes place this year.
Weller, 21, speaking on Tuesday, said: “My Achilles is causing me agony but it all went well.
“It was seriously tough between 32-42km and then seemed to pick up a second wind and completed in 4hrs 46mins.”
This year he’s been on placement from university at Sevenoaks School and their director of sport James Emmitt chose to running alongside him for the latter stages.
Weller had run every day since January 19, 2019, through bad weather, illness and the pandemic. He completed his 496-day challenge to coincide with a special day.
His granny suffered with the incurable immune system illness Lupus for 28 years and passed away in 2014. It would have been her 86th birthday on Friday.
His granny’s house number in Ditton was 496, an address she lived at for 78 years, and it’s the number he chose to base his gruelling challenge around.
Speaking before his final run, Weller said: “It’s been a big challenge and there was a week this winter where every day I got soaked and it was windy. I had the odd illness, nothing serious, but I have come to love running and I don’t think I will ever stop now.”
