Queer activist is about to complete 401 marathons in 401 days
It’s hard to get somebody to complete one marathon. It’s close to impossible to get them to do two in one week. Or one every single day for a year. Or one every single day for 401 days.
But, that is exactly what queer activist Ben Smith has been doing since September 1, 2015, when he set out to run 401 marathons in 401 days to start a dialog about school bullying and to raise money for LGBT charities Stonewall and Kidscape.
Since then he’s been running every single day, and has covered more than 10,000 miles.
Smith decided to undertake the 401 challenge after being bullied in school for his sexuality and wanted to raise awareness about how harmful bullying can be for the queer community. He also wanted to share his story so that bullied youth would know they weren’t alone, according to NewNowNext.
“A key objective of The 401 Challenge has been to involve as many people as possible and create opportunities for children, young people and adults to discuss the difficult topics of bullying and sexuality.
“I am proud of the amount of money we have raised so far for Kidscape and Stonewall. I am fully confident we will raise the £250,000 we set out to achieve at the beginning of the challenge.
“The work against bullying and saving people from suffering long term problems because of being bullied is important and I firmly believe we have made a positive impact on so many people’s lives.”
Since starting the campaign, Smith has raised over £160,000 — more than $200,000 — for the two charities, but hopes to double that amount by the time he runs his final marathon on October 5 in his hometown of Bristol.
To help Ben reach his goal, donate here.
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