Former Made in Chelsea star Josh Patterson is over two-thirds of the way through his most recent challenge – running 76 marathons in 76 days all over the United Kingdom.
The gruelling world record attempt has seen Josh Patterson turn from reality tv to endurance athlete running 26.2 miles every day for 76 days across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Upon completing the challenge, he will have beaten the previous world record by 14 consecutive marathons.
Josh decided to take on this incredible feat of endurance to raise £1 million for the suicide prevention strategy Samaritans. He decided this after going through his own mental health battles that brought him close to suicide.
Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50. Josh explained: “Mental illness is a terrible torturous disease where you’re a prisoner to your thoughts. You may think this only happens if you have a challenging upbringing, but I grew up with loving parents and I never wanted for anything.
“For me, this made struggling with my own mental health even harder – I would beat myself up, thinking I had no right to feel the way I did when others out there have been and are going through so much worse.
“Many years ago, I wanted to take my own life. But I was recently invited into India’s [his five-year-old daughter] school assembly to watch her proudly receive an award, and all I could think was, ‘What if I had missed this special moment in her life?’”
This challenge is the next in some incredible athletic challenges for Josh. In 2018, he completed the Berlin Marathon in a wheelchair alongside his friend Ben who was paralysed from the waist down due to a motorcycle accident. He fundraised for the Spinal Injury Association.
In 2020 he raised money for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) by running six marathons in five days around his 14ft London patio. In 2021 he was the first person to run a marathon in the four UK nations in just 24 hours, fundraising for Samaritans.
The challenge will see him traverse almost 2000 miles over an estimated 465 hours to fund the Samaritan’s lifesaving phone calls to people in crisis. A donation of just £5 funds one of these vital calls. Josh hopes to fund 200,000 with his £1m fundraising aim.
“There are 76 cities in the UK; 55 in England, seven in Wales, eight in Scotland, and six in Northern Ireland. The Samaritans has an office in each of these cities. I want my runs to benefit every single city and as many people across the country as possible.
“Before I started this challenge, I visited the Samaritans team in the London office and was blown away by the talented and caring team there. The longest call they have taken caring for an individual is six hours! They are so committed.”
Before the challenge started in February, he trained with an elite force of health and performance experts at Until, a London-based holistic hub of industry-leading health and wellness practitioners.
Until is a hub of industry-leading health and wellness practitioners at premium locations across London. Until has over 230 specialists across 25 disciplines covering all consumers’ holistic health and wellness needs under one roof. It was founded in 2021 by entrepreneurs Vishal Amin and Alex Pellew.
The business is named after the word found at the crux of all health and wellness goals – you keep training until you can beat your personal best, or you heal an injury until you are pain-free.
Until’s London-based wellness optimisation facilities are home to over 230 specialists across 30+ disciplines. Our experts-in-residence will get you in peak physical and mental shape, and help you reach the pinnacle of your potential. If you want to build your own elite team of performance experts like Josh Patterson, visit: until.co.uk
“I needed the best of the best support team around me to get me prepped and run-ready, so my bespoke team of experts was tailored around my specific needs,” Josh said. “Their skill, care and support have blown me away. My ‘marathon family’ have made me into a machine – I feel the strongest physically and mentally that I have ever felt in my life.”
Josh has already visited cities like Inverness, Glasgow, Belfast, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Lincoln, and Wolverhampton. Still on the list are Bath, Plymouth, Winchester, Southampton, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Oxford and London.