“The Metro Marathon Challenge requires that old school Special Forces combination of guts, preparation and endurance. I wish Kev & John the very best of luck. By God, they’re going to need it.” 

“The Metro Marathon Challenge is eccentric, original…but genuinely bloody hard. Fifty-fifty in my book whether Kev & John manage to pull it off. Hope they do – it’s for a great cause. But it’s going to take a monumental effort of guts and willpower not to mention extreme fitness.”

On the morning of Sunday, September 19th this year, psychologist and author Dr Kevin Dutton, and Great Britain rower John Collins shall be embarking on a unique challenge. There are a combined total of 315 stations on the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway and in the two weeks leading up to the London Marathon (on October 3rd) Kev and John shall be navigating all of them, on foot. On Day 15 they shall then run the London Marathon.  

 A team of data scientists from Capgemini Engineering have supported the challenge by calculating the optimum start point and shortest possible route between the 315 stations, beginning in Chesham and ending in Lewisham, the station nearest to the London Marathon start line. The total distance is 305 miles.

 Kev and John are undertaking the challenge to raise money for The Running Charity. The Running Charity believes that running is as good for your mind as it is for your body. Running builds resilience and self-esteem, and they use this to improve the lives of 16-25 year-olds who are homeless or at risk from homelessness.

 Kev and John will be started on their epic 300-mile challenge by former London Marathon winner Hugh Jones (still the only Londoner to have ever won the race.) 

 For the entire duration of the journey they shall be sleeping rough, mostly in parks along the route, but occasionally, when geography allows, in a friend’s garden. They might, for example, discover the true meaning of “The Number of the Beast” when they bed down on Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson’s patio after 150 miles at the end of Day 6.Then at 200 miles, on Day 10, they’ll be dropping in on snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan for some home-cooked pasta. Former SAS soldier Andy McNab will also be on hand to keep an eye on things.

 John and Kev shall also be inviting some of their celebrity friends to keep them company on various stages of the route and put in a few miles - walking, running, bike, wheelchair…however they want to do it! 

The last year and a half has been tough on all of us. But it’s been even tougher for those without a roof over their heads. If you could spare us anything at all to help us help the homeless “back on their feet” it would be absolutely brilliant. Thank you.