Clanfield man completes marathon on treadmill in garage for NHS whilst watching Portsmouth FC's Checkatrade final win over Sunderland
and live on Freeview channel 276
The 42-year-old was meant to be running in the Brighton marathon before it was cancelled following the coronavirus outbreak.
But having spent weeks training for his seventh marathon, Rob did not want his efforts to go to waste.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSo the Clanfield financial consultant decided to put his training to good use and embark on the 26 miles on a treadmill in his garage.
‘I did a fair bit of training for the Brighton marathon and thought it would be good to do something for a good cause,’ Rob said.
‘I didn’t think it was possible to do anything outside for that length of time and then remembered I had a treadmill in the garage so why not use that and raise some money for the NHS.’
Rob then drummed up support for his fundraiser and after smashing his initial target of £500 kept pushing his goal up - resulting in him raising £1,760 after completing the challenge.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA glorious sunny day and throwing open the garage doors, along with his entourage of supporters – both present and online – helped Rob achieve his feat in three hours and 31 minutes.
‘I kept an even pace and was pretty chuffed with the time which was comparable to the normal time I have done from my six previous marathons.
‘My kids came into the garage, my neighbours were at the end of the drive and I had people going past waving after we put a board up to say what I was doing.
‘Watching a rerun of Pompey’s win over Sunderland in the Checkatrade Trophy and having benefits like water whenever I needed helped me. All the comments from people on a Facebook Live we did helped a lot as well.’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRob added: ‘People obviously want to help the NHS at the moment and I am pleased for the support I received and pleased with raising the amount of money I did.’
Donations can still be made by clicking here.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.