Coronavirus: Man runs 100km garden 'ultra marathon'

A man said neighbours "banged pots and pans" to celebrate him completing a 100km "ultra marathon" in his garden.

Mike Reid, from Leicestershire, estimated he needed to run 4,000 laps of his back garden to cover the distance, which took 13.07 hours.

The 37-year-old said the nature of the run was different due to the lockdown making the "monotony tough", but he felt "championed" by the support.

Mr Reid has raised more than £1,500 for Zoe's Place Baby Hospice in Coventry.

The father-of-two, from Hinckley, started the 100km (62 miles), measured on his GPS watch, at 23:00 BST on Saturday and finished at 12:07 BST on Sunday.

"I was in pain for the first hour - I had strained a calf muscle on Monday, but I'm fortunate to run for a charity, which gave me good motivation," he said.

"The monotony was tough in the confined space. Doing loops in the garden and changing directions was more technical than I thought.

"The nature of this run was different because of the lockdown and circumstances."

Mr Reid said he had a rest with tea and lasagne for breakfast for an "extra boost" at 05:00.

He was cheered on by his wife and sons William, six, and Charlie, five, who ran the last 2km (1.25 miles) with him, navigating around swings, toys and sheds in their 20m by 9m garden.

The runner said he felt "emotional and sleep deprived" at the end as the neighbours "cheered, clapped and banged pots and pans" to celebrate.

"The boys said 'well done Daddy' and gave me a cuddle - that's all you need really," he said.

"I have huge support and I'm really blown away by how many people have backed it. It really kept me going.

"I feel I'm being championed."

Mr Reid has completed a handful of ultra marathons in the past - including two for the same hospice, which is currently closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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