A PUB landlord from Wackerfield is taking a well-earned rest after completing a worldwide A to Z of city marathons.
Jason Schofield, who manages The Sun Inn, has just completed his 26th long-distance race in Quebec, Canada, to conclude his 15-year-challenge. His efforts for his last race also helped him to raise £651 for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Mr Schofield has now finished 35 marathons.
He ran his first Great North Run in 1992 after which he completed the half marathon another eight times.
In 2003, he doubled the miles and ran the London Marathon. He says he has never looked back since. The 52-year-old was inspired to combine his love of long-distance running with a challenge following the death of his late father, George Schofield, in 2008.
He said: “When my dad died, I decided that I would do an A to Z of marathons. I wanted to try to do each one in a different country. It has been a challenge.”
The journey began in Berlin in 2004 and has taken Mr Schofield and his partner and supporter, Jackie Hope, to all four corners of the world.
Donning a Union Flag running vest and flag, Mr Schofield’s trips have included a visit to Geneva, in Switzerland, for a day and a brief trip to Mongolia.
After achieving a personal best of three hours and 48 minutes in Germany, Mr Schofield went on to complete races in Athens, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, Geneva, Helsinki, Istanbul and Jerusalem.
He has also gained medals from Kiev, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Moscow, New York, Oslo, Paris, Reykjavik, Skopje in Macedonia, Tallinn, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Vienna, Warsaw, Xiamen in China, Yangon in Myanmar and Zagreb. He completed the final 26.2 miles in Quebec in Canada on October 13 in five hours and 13 minutes.
Mr Schofield said: “You never think you are going to go to these places. We love to see these different places and cultures. We went to Jerusalem and Moscow in the same year.
“I really enjoyed running in Berlin where I got my personal best. There was a big hill in the middle of the race in Quebec that slowed me down.
“I’m not retiring from marathons but I haven’t got any more planned yet. It is the love of marathon morning and the adrenaline you feel with everyone there at the start.”
Mr Schofield thanked everyone for their support and donations.
