Helen Summer - Running Crazy--Imagine Running a Marathon. Now Imagine Running Over 100 of Them. Incredible True Stories from the Worlds Most Fanatical Runners

L ooking back through my childhood I have vivid memories of being bullied because of my deformed hand and forever being told that I would find many things impossible. I could, therefore, perhaps be forgiven for not having achieved my potential by the time I left school in 1979. Not that I cared too much at the time; I found a job, discovered beer, clubs and, of course, girls. The world was my oyster. Or was it? Despite being a naive young man, I started to question where my life was going.

Two years later, I was drawn to a poster advertising the inaugural Coventry Marathon (my home town). Although I was only 18 and hadnt run since school, it was one of those special moments when something sparked in my mind. I couldnt really explain the feeling, not only did it seem the right thing to do, but it somehow seemed to suggest an opportunity to take a new path in life which could possibly lead to better things. After a bet with some mates, my decision was made.

Of course I didnt know the first thing about training for a marathon and did everything wrong, from wearing inadequate footwear to not hydrating properly and certainly not doing enough miles in training. I reached mile 15 in the race and began to wonder what all the fuss was about, a mile later I found out! Something hit me and it was as if my legs had decided to just pack up. I learned some time later about the wall, but at the time I didnt know whether to walk, sit down or give up. In the end, I did none of these and struggled on to finish in a time of 3 hours 38 minutes. After crossing the line I experienced a feeling like Id never felt before, one of accomplishment and sheer euphoria, it felt like Id conquered the world!

Unfortunately, that feeling faded somewhat the following day when I woke up to discover I had legs like gateposts and after attempting to walk down the stairs, I swore Id never run a marathon ever again! It was all I could do to go down the stairs backwards and a full week passed before I could walk normally again. Time, of course, is a great healer and several weeks later, I was back running again. Id found something special that I enjoyed, something that made me feel confident about myself and something that felt good, not only physically but also spiritually.

I wasnt aware at the time, but this was the start of an incredible journey. Not only a journey of personal achievement, but a journey that in time would see my wife and I travel to many wonderful places where we would meet many like-minded people with a common goal and make many new friends. It would give me the opportunity to put something back into the world, to inspire others and learn a lot more about myself as a human being, not only in terms of my character but to realise what an amazing machine the human body is.

In a world where obesity and alcohol abuse are on the increase, where role models are created from appearing on reality TV programmes and where the greater media seem intent on focusing on all the gloom and negative aspects of life, this book is about an amazing group of people who, like me, have followed an incredible journey in the sport of extreme marathon running. They are not famous nor are they generally known to the wider public community, why would they be? What they do is healthy, positive and inspirational, attributes that sadly have perhaps been forgotten in some parts of modern society and all the things so often overlooked by todays media in favour of so-called celebrity and TV-manufactured idols who are then held up as role models.

Call me old fashioned, but I was brought up to realise that the world owed you nothing, there were no short cuts, if you wanted respect it had to be earned and you only achieved success with hard work and dedication. To run 100 or more marathons requires determination, courage and endeavour. For the 100 Marathon runners, the reward of achieving that goal is not one of fame or fortune, but a way of life that no one can buy and, sadly, not many will ever experience. It is well known that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have run 100 marathons or more. I therefore feel both proud and privileged to have discovered that way of life from an early age.