Marathon Man Gary McKee is just four days and 105 miles from running immortality.
That might sound like a huge distance – but not when you’ve already covered almost 9,500 miles already this year.
Gary has run a marathon every single day of 2022 as he bids to raise over £1million for cancer charities.
His remarkable running challenge comes to an end on New Year’s Eve.
And he intends to celebrate by breaking his year-long alcohol ban as his home town of Cleator Moor, Cumbria, comes together to hail their local hero.
“I’ve not had a beer all year – I’ve abstained from it,” said Gary, who has previously run 100 and 110 marathons in a row.
“I’ll have a few pints on New Year’s Eve when we finish at Wath Brow rugby league club, and a few beers with the boys the day after.
“The local brewery Ennerdale has been making a Marathon Man beer and they’ve been selling like hot cakes, with all profits going on my fundraising page.
“You get used to running 185 miles a week. I ran with a lad this week that did 136 miles with me and can run sub-three hour marathons, and he just said he didn’t understand how I do it, he was absolutely shattered.
“But when you’ve made a commitment you have to go through with what you say.
“I’ve never felt like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
“I’m still excited to open the door and see who’s coming with me.
“I’ve had a bit of a hamstring injury that’s slowed me down a bit at times but what that’s done is allow more people to run with me.”
Gary, who averages just over four hours running time a day, has not completed a marathon on his own since July.
On Christmas Eve around 50 runners donned Father Christmas outfits to run with him, and even on Christmas Day the figure was over 20.
Gary has continued to work as a shift team leader at nuclear site Sellafield, which sometimes has meant running two marathons in the space of 16 hours.
He has hailed their support, along with that of wife Sue and children Alfie, Beau and Minnie, who have all been doing their own challenges over the course of the year.
Gary is currently approaching the £500,000 mark of his £1million fundraising target for Macmillan and Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
He counts carrying the Rugby League World Cup on to the Old Trafford pitch at the final and running alongside fellow inspiration Kevin Sinfield as highlights.
A run with a school that looks after children with disabilities also stands out.
He said: “I always say to the lads and lasses that run with me that there are good days and there are great days, there’s no difficult or bad days.
“We have the Cumbrian weather up here and there’s a lot of rain.
“But we always say that we’re running in somebody’s else’s rain. If someone has been through cancer treatment and goes outside and it’s raining, it will be the best rain they’ve ever felt.
"That helps to make me feel invincible.”
- Donate to Gary’s page here.
