Essex man running 1000 miles from Spain to Loughton for cancer charity

He's running 38 marathons in 38 days

Author: Sian RochePublished 15th Aug 2022

A 26 year old man from Essex is running 1000 miles from Spain to Loughton to raise money for charity, attempting to complete 38 marathons in as many days.

Juan David Tenorio is 9 days into his 38 day journey, which will see him run across Spain, France and England.

Juan David is raising money for Children With Cancer UK, for a cause he says is very important to him: "It's a great charity, which is close to my heart. I've had family members affected by cancer, so it felt like the right charity to go for."

Juan David is completing the gruelling challenge alone, documenting his travels on Instagram and sleeping in a hammock every night, collecting food and water from nearby towns and villages.

He told Greatest Hits Radio Essex he was intent on not cutting any corners with his route: "I started in Valencia, I'm making my way up north until I get to the Pyrenees, which I'll run over into France. "I'll then work my way from the south of France all the way up to the north, to the English Channel, where I'll hop on a ferry and land in a town called Newhaven.

"I'll then spend a few days there, making up the distance that the ferry covered, because I want to have done the whole distance by foot, before running home to Loughton."

The route ends at his mum's house in Loughton, Essex, where Juan David says he hopes to be greeted with "any cold drink and a barbecue!"

On the journey so far, Juan David has had to contend with soaring temperatures across the continent: "Warm is an understatement! It's really hot at the moment - 35-36 degrees is the average everyday in Spain.

"Thankfully, I've been in Valencia preparing and training for about three months, so I've sort of got used to the heat."

Despite the heat, and momentous distance Juan David must cover, he says neither of those things are the toughest challenge: "Obviously it's hard physically, don't get me wrong, but what keeps you going is that mental strength. You have to have it to help you push through on hard days. "Or, you just have to be a bit crazy like me and not know when to stop!"

So far, Juan David has raised ÂŁ1,371 of his ÂŁ3,800 target.

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