Inexperienced runner jogs four miles every four hours to help Clyde's Cash for Kids
Peter McKenzie from Paisley took on the "toughest challenge of his life" to complete two marathons in two days.
Plenty of us have turned to running or exercise to keep our minds in check during the coronavirus pandemic, especially as its one of the few things we're allowed to do.
Peter McKenzie, 34, fits in that bracket and tied his running shoes tightly after kicking an alcohol issue and putting redundancy anxiety to the back of his mind.
20 cigarettes a day and seeing off three whisky bottles between Christmas and New Year left him evaluating his priorities and he decided it was time to flatten his own deteriorating curve.
But after running to improve his own welfare and state of mind, he realised he could help others while helping himself, and chose Clyde's Cash for Kids charity as the one for him.
The Paisley dad-of-three committed to a challenge invented by former marine David Goggins, in which you run four miles every hour hours, for 48 hours.
The novice, who weighed 98kg at the end of last year and now weighs 80kg, has had more than £1500 donated to his Just Giving page, which will close next week.
A reformed Peter told Clyde News: "I was drinking a lot of alcohol throughout the pandemic and I was furloughed from work. I'd put on a lot of weight so I started to try and get myself fit.
"I saw on the news that record numbers of children were having to use foodbanks and it really struck a chord with me. I'm not sure why, but something just came over me and I thought, 'why not benefit some children too if I'm going to be running this for myself?'"
"It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done, mentally and physically. My body was coping until about run seven when my hips, calves, hamstrings, quads, everything was sore to the touch.
"After run seven I started to question if I could finish it as I was in absolute agony, but my fundraising page started blowing up with donations coming in thick and fast so that gave me extra motivation and willpower to push on.
"It was 99 per cent mental, to try and force myself through it. There are so many children out there though going through far worse on a daily basis, all I had to do was focus for 48 hours.
"I take great pride that in some way, no matter how significant, that I've helped some kids that needed it. I'm over the moon and want to carry on helping people now."
Peter's pal John Glen ran the challenge with him, without being by his side due to coronavirus local authority restrictions.
They pushed themselves further than the challenge requires to reach a total of two marathons run over two days.
He continued: "My friend John ran it with me for support and went through the ringer as well. We didn't run together because we live in different areas but he completed it as well and it was brilliant to do it with a mate."
"I'm ecstatic with support we received and the donations to the charity. I set-out to raise £444.08 to match-up with the 4x4x48 challenge. I'd only been fundraising for 20 days before I started so to make what I have so far is fantastic.
"I only started running in January this year so I'm not used to any activities like this. It's been a life-changing few months though and I don't think I'll go back to drinking alcohol either.
"I got made redundant from my job and thankfully have found new employment now but even though I'm in a bad place financially, I'm in nowhere near the dire straits that some of these children are finding themselves in through no fault of their own.