Edd Owen: Manchester man runs three marathons in 12 hours by circling apartment block 441 times for charity

A man, inspired by the 'Hardest Geezer', embarked on a remarkable challenge: running the equivalent of three marathons in just one day in the name of charity. However, his method was rather unconventional - he circled a single apartment block a whopping 441 times.

Edd Owen kicked off his 79-mile (127km) ultramarathon at 8am on April 20, running for 12 hours straight. Throughout the day, he was joined by a mix of friends and strangers who kept him company during his arduous endeavor.

Despite skepticism from onlookers, including concerns about dizziness or losing his mind from the repetitive loops around the 290-meter block in Manchester, Edd pressed on. A hilarious screenshot captured his seemingly endless circling, though fortunately, his GPS remained steady throughout.

Edd's motivation for this feat came from his admiration for Russ Cook, with whom he had recently run the final 45 kilometers of the entire length of Africa. Inspired by Russ's achievements, Edd set out to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society.

Edd craftily ensured his route passed by his local Manchester bakery, Companio, who helped to fuel his stint with croissants, brownies, and pastrami sandwiches that he could pick up on his loops.

By the end, his feet were so swollen he had to change into flip flops before celebrating his success with pals and enjoying a pint at the pub. Despite nicknaming his run the 'Companio Crawl' as he foresaw himself crawling by the end, he admits he was sprinting the final 290 metre lap for fear he'd not reach the finish line in time.

After running the Manchester marathon just the weekend before, the salesman was heartwarmed to be joined by fellow runners for the majority of his 12-hour run after mentioning it to friends at Ancoats Run Club.

Edd, from Ancoats, Manchester, said: "It was an incredible day. I was a bit shocked to be honest. Out of the 12 hours, I only actually ran for half an hour on my own. I knew the Strava map would look stupid. That's the funny part. It's so ridiculous in nature. I'm quite happy the GPS didn't go too crazy so it does look kind of like a square.”

He added: “Loads of people asked me if I got dizzy. Everyone said 'you're going to go crazy, it's going to be a real mental battle because you aren't going to have any new things to look at'. And lots of people asked me why I didn't switch directions, but I got quite comfortable with the route and knowing exactly where things were.

"I'm inspired by Russ Cook. I always felt like, and still feel like, I'm very capable of doing cool things. If he can do something like that then you can push yourself to do something as well. In my head, I thought I'd be fine but until you put yourself in that position you'll never know. That's where it came from, Russ thinking 'you know what, I'm going to run the length of Africa' and so I thought 'well I'm going to run for 12 hours and see if I can do that'."

Joined by fellow runners and his own dad, he was cheered on in the last half an hour by 30 people who'd come out to watch him.

Edd said: "My dad came in the morning and ran for an hour and half with me. That was great. I was just so happy he came. It was a bit overwhelming. It was a nice Saturday so for people to take time out of the first sunny Saturday we've had all year and stand on a street corner to cheer for someone running in a circle was really nice.

"Looking back, the low points all came when I was hungry. I ordered a lot from Companio because I knew I was going to burn a lot of calories. In reality on the day, I had one and half almond croissants, one cheese and marmite twist, half a pastrami sandwich and one of the brownies. I couldn't really stomach much food.

"After the run, I had a quick shower and got changed and headed for a pint to celebrate with everyone. I had about three pints and all my friends wanted to go out but I couldn't as I couldn't put any shoes on. I'd had to go to the pub in flip flops because my feet were so swollen that I couldn't fit them into my shoes."

Edd had been a regular at the gym for some time, but his venture into running only began two years ago when his father signed him up for the Manchester marathon. Now, he looks ahead with a determination to continually challenge himself. Reflecting on his journey, Edd said: ""When I started two years ago, I basically hated running but I thought 'I have to do this training because if I'm standing on that start line and I haven't trained and I can't finish it then it'll be so embarrassing'.

"Now, I just want to keep exploring how far I can push my body. When we're able-bodied and fit and healthy, we're blessed. I almost feel like I owe it to the people who can't do stuff to see what my body can do. I want to do something that hasn't been done before and more challenges that are weird and wonderful, like this/ I want it to excite me and push me and make me uncomfortable. I want it to be exciting insofar as it's scary."

Edd has so far raised over £1,300 smashing his £500 target but people can continue to donate to his fundraiser on a JustGiving page.