CONGRATULATIONS! Jason Bulley completes 100 marathons!

We are used to hearing of the exploits of Sandbach Striders and the happy band of runners as they take part in a huge variety of running events both near and far but for one of the original members of Striders this weekend was particularly special...

Jason storming round the High Peaks 40m

On Saturday in the beautiful rolling countryside of the Cotswolds, Jason Bulley completed his 100^th marathon.

Jason's big six medals.

An achievement that is all the more impressive when you find out that Jason is not some highly trained athlete but just a normal guy. In fact he describes himself as “a slightly overweight middle aged man who just enjoys the satisfaction and camaraderie of completing 26.2 miles with his club mates”

The presentation of the shirt. Seconds later champagne was flowing!

It is indeed that camaraderie which has led Jason to run all but his first marathon as a member of Sandbach Striders.

Jason and Jo at the Cheltenham Circular Challenge, one of many off-road marathons they have run together.

In 2000 Jason got on the scales and as the needle settled at 18½ stone he decided he needed to turn his life around. He tried to run that very day but ended up walking most of a mile near his house.

Having a quick stretch during the ups and downs of the London Underround.

He slowly built up his distance and set himself the goal of running the New York marathon a year later.

Jason showboating on top of Winter Hill during the Bolton Hill Marathon.

Twelve months on and five stone lighter he found himself stood on the start line of a very emotional post 9/11 New York Marathon.

Stuffing his face after the Three Shires.

He crossed the finish line 3 hours 56 minutes later a marathon runner.

He wrote down his memories at the time which concluded “I am in awe of anyone who trains for and completes a marathon but anyone who does two is just insane and I know for sure I’ll never do another one!”

The Three Amigos after the infamous "bike bouncing" triathlon in Grizedale.

It was two years before the marathon bug bit again and over the next nine years Jason built his marathon total up to 50. It was then that Club Chairman and friend Mik Escolme suggested they complete 100 marathons as quickly as possible and the challenge was on. This has resulted in Jason completing 44 marathons in the past 12 months with nine of those being run in March alone.

Minutes after this photo, the checkpoint had run out of  food, coincidence?

Included in his total are the London, Edinburgh and Belfast marathons as well as marathons in Barcelona, Las Vegas and even one which started at Everest base camp. He has run from London to Brighton, an epic 103 mile run along the Thames Path from Richmond to Oxford and the legendary Marathon des Sables.

Jason during the Marathon Des Sables.

When pushed to come up with his top three marathons Jason ranks the Comrades (Up) Marathon as his number one, the Marathon du Medoc as his second and the Crewe Deja Vu marathon third.

After drinking Medoc dry, Jason patiently waits for some more grapes to ferment.

“The Comrades is a 56 mile ultra marathon run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in South Africa with incredible support and an unforgiving cut-off time, the Marathon du Medoc on the other hand is more relaxed and is run in fancy dress through the grounds of 23 Chateaus near Bordeaux where you stop and drink the wine from each Chateau as you pass through, and my third favourite is the Crewe Déjà vu Marathon which involves running 105½ laps of the Cumberland running track in Crewe”

Lap one hundred and something at the Crewe Déjà vu

“105½ laps of a running track doesn’t sound like it should make it into my top three but I’ve never run a marathon which better shows how a running club can come together to support both its own runners as well as runners from other clubs and help them succeed at goals they never thought achievable”

After 103 miles along the Thames Towpath.

When asked what Jason plans next he says he’s going to rest his weary legs for a while but would like to run an ultra marathon somewhere cold and having promised his wife Jo (who he met at Sandbach Striders) they would run a marathon together somewhere warm, she thought he was going to take her to the Bahamas but instead he’s booked a marathon that’s run 700 metres underground in a mine in Germany where it’s constantly 24ºC!

 

Jason hydrating for the London Marathon in his own special way!

 Jason runs in support of the Breast Cancer Campaign.