In 2026 I am attempting to run 26 marathons.

Every penny raised here goes directly to giving young people access to outdoor education experiences that would otherwise be out of reach. If you can give even a little, it would mean the world to me — and make a real difference to young people in Scotland.

That’s the short version — read on for the full story!

THE CHARITY

I am raising money for Scottish Outdoor Education Centres’ bursary fund - which is the ideal match because both the marathon running and the charity are about people taking on things that challenge us in the outdoors and as a result learning lessons, growing and flourishing. In particular this is about giving access to such life changing experiences to young people for whom it is currently not an option.

Scottish Outdoor Education Centres is the largest charitable provider of residential outdoor education in Scotland. I am most familiar with Broomlee Centre which is situated just outside our village in the Scottish Borders; here SOEC brings young people together in the beautiful Scottish countryside - usually for several days (often the children have never spent a night away from home or even a full day out in the woods or the hills) - and provides activity programmes that push them beyond what they thought they were capable of in a way that ignites curiosity, determination, and team work.

Research suggests that for every pound invested in outdoor education, eleven pounds of long-term value is generated for society. I don’t understand how they do the maths on this, but having seen many of these programmes up close, I am fully convinced of the core claim. These programmes are a chance to discover and develop qualities within one’s self such as courage, confidence, resilience, and resourcefulness; they also are a chance to recognise qualities in others and learn to communicate, co-operate and collaborate - and to see how much more can be achieved as a team than could ever be done alone; they are also a chance to develop an appreciation for, an interest in, and a sense of responsibility for the natural environment. The lessons young people learn at SOEC are not only impactful here and now, but being buried deep in shared memories with friends, they are seeds that will produce fruit for the rest of their lives.

Right now, access to these opportunities for young people is largely limited to families who can afford them, whilst the have-nots go without. Last year the Scottish Parliament passed a bill which when it is implemented will go a long way to resolving this inequality within the realm of school residentials - all school children will have the right to a full week of residential outdoor learning at some point in their school career. This really is fantastic news. But it won’t reach everyone. Not least the young people who fall through every other gap already: 6% of young people are not in mainstream education, and 28% of those who are in mainstream education are classed as persistently absent. Then there are those for whom appropriate provision of outdoor education tailored to their particular needs simply doesn’t currently exist as an option.

The SOEC bursary fund exists to change that — every penny goes directly to giving places and creating programmes for those who would not otherwise be able to participate. Sometimes the fund allows for a subsidised or free spot within a regular paid programme for someone whose family can’t afford it; sometimes the fund allows for creating new programmes for groups whose access to the outdoors is limited; SOEC seeks out such opportunities by working with councils, community groups, youth projects, and charities that serve those who are underprivileged, blind, disabled, autistic, and so on. Whilst there are various external sources of funding that SOEC continually pursues, the bursary fund is an internal fund that allows SOEC to push projects over the line and make them happen.

Please give a little if you can afford to do so. Every penny goes directly to the bursary fund and will make a big impact in the lives of young people in Scotland. Thank you!

You can find out more about SOEC at https://www.soec.org.uk/about-us/

THE CHALLENGE

I began the challenge in January but I have kept it fairly quiet up to this point (and am only just launching the fundraising now) because it seemed highly likely that I would get badly injured early on and not be able to see the challenge through. Back in October I had a bit of a health scare - a routine tooth extraction unfortunately led to serious infection, a huge swelling that was obstructing my airways, and sepsis - all of a sudden I was having emergency surgery and 48 hours in ICU, followed by recovery at home. By the time I was given the all clear in November I could barely walk 5 miles, let alone run 26. I had 40 days to go from zero to marathon ready.

This 26 marathons in a year challenge was actually dreamt up 20+ years ago with a couple of friends who were brilliant runners. They were going to run ‘a marathon of marathons’, one marathon for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet, with the letters corresponding to the locations or event names. I was going to photograph it, and together we were going to write it up to make a beautiful book celebrating the marathon in its various forms around the world. It was a great idea that never happened. But it stuck in the back of my brain waiting for the moment when I was thinking about what challenge I might take on to get me into shape following my health scare! Once I remembered we were heading into the year 2026 it seemed the obvious thing to do - 26 x 26.2 miles in ‘26 - albeit that the expectations of the challenge would need to be adapted for a fairly unfit forty five year old father of three with a busy life and on a tight budget!

There isn’t a fixed plan because for it to be feasible I need flexibility. So most marathons will be routes of my own choosing on local trails. Given where I was starting from, I decided that a marathon a month up to May - culminating with The Edinburgh Marathon - was enough of a step up from where I was. But after Edinburgh there are 21 marathons still to go, and I will be aiming for 3 marathons in June. As per the original idea, each marathon links in some way to a letter. I have been documenting the whole project with the aim being to produce some video content, but in the mean time I am posting about my progress here: https://www.instagram.com/beyondmeredistance/

...I am not asking anyone to give money to a charity because I am doing something foolish; if that encourages you to donate, then great - it will certainly buoy me along! But really, the doing something foolish gives me an excuse to shine a light on the amazing work of an excellent charity which is genuinely worthy of our support - please do if you feel able!