I remember running my first marathon in 1981 at the tender age of 18 and vowing never again. I didn't realise it at the time, but this was the day that would change my life forever!

When I look back I feel incredibly fortunate to have achieved all that I have from the sport of multi marathon running and although this has given me a great sense of personal achievement, the greater reward has come from being able to inspire others and also help raise money & awareness for various charities.

Towards the end of 2012 I realised my lifetime ambition of running 500 official marathon races all under 3hrs 30min with an average finish time of 3hrs 12min, but I also reached another landmark, my 50th birthday! So what next? 600 marathons? 700 marathons, 800?, indeed was the 1000 marathons landmark possible? and if so, was it possible to run them averaging sub 3hrs 30min for a potential new world record?

Around the same time, my wife Teresa volunteered her services to the incredible nursing team of Kate's Home Nursing, a charity based in North Gloucestershire who provide palliative home care for terminally ill patients. In an ideal world, you'd probably expect this service to be readily available to all through the NHS, but unfortunately this isn't the case.

The specialised care and support which facilitates the process of allowing terminally ill patients the dignity and indeed comfort of reaching the end of their life in familiar surroundings at home in the company of loved ones is a service that only charities such as Kate's can provide. It is therefore reliant on the kindness and generosity from both public and corporate donations.

Now I wasn't sure just how much longer my body could withstand the brutality of racing 26.2 miles on a regular basis and indeed whether I could go on to achieve the 1000 marathons record. However, while still able, I wanted to dedicate my marathon running to supporting Kate's and try to raise much needed funds to help them continue providing this special service to everyday people like you and me who never know what's around the corner!

My plan was to try and achieve the record in 2022 just before my 60th birthday, but Covid lockdowns put paid to that. Trying to regain the momentum following this testing period proved to be a massive hurdle but thankfully the will power was just about strong enough to re-ignite the challenge.

Now in my 62nd year and long since slowing down with wear & tear, the goal has finally been conquered. After running a competitive marathon race on average every 13 days for the last 36 years and training most days of every week, every month, year after year, spanning 5 decades, the world record for running 1000 marathons in the fastest average finish time (3hrs 21min 47sec) was achieved at the renowned Milton Keynes Marathon on May 6th, 2024. My motto has always been 'Never Underestimate Your Potential, Follow Your Dreams'. I hope this world record challenge has not not only helped to inspire others to achieve their own dreams but is also worthy of considering a small donation towards this amazing charity that is Kate's Home Nursing.

Thank you

Steve & Teresa (Team Edwards)