Man Runs a Marathon in This Very Small Backyard

Being stuck at home didn't stop a British man from running an outdoor marathon. James Campbell, a former professional javelin thrower, spent his 32nd birthday on Wednesday doing 20-foot shuttles from one end of his small backyard to the other after promising to run a marathon if one of his Twitter messages received 10,000 retweets. By the time Campbell completed the marathon in just over five hours, he had raised more than $22,000 for Britain’s National Health Service to help battle the coronavirus pandemic.

The AP reports the effort—labelled the #6metregardenchallenge—was live-streamed, with former England soccer great Geoff Hurst among the viewers. Neighbors poked their heads over the backyard fence to give Campbell encouragement. Campbell ran across a patch of grass, some stones, and a small patio in 20-foot stretches. He calculated he would have to traverse his yard at least 7,000 times to reach 26.2 miles. (This man did it in 23-foot increments.)