Article #3959

I tried not to think about the 1,300 metres of solid rock over my head

Running has always been a passion of mine. I started as a child in the Yorkshire Dales, moving to cross-country at university, then graduating to marathons. I loved the challenge. After my wife, Stephanie, and I married in 2012, and went on to have two daughters, Grace and Rose, I still ran for pleasure, but competitive events took a back seat as I focused on my family and career.

Then one day I heard about a marathon my company had been invited to join. It had been over 10 years since my last big race, but I put my name forward. “I’m surprised,” a colleague said. “You do realise it’s totally underground?” It turned out the race was in a Swedish zinc mine, 1,120 metres below sea level. That made it the world’s deepest marathon, and everyone who completed it would be a Guinness World Record holder.