Mark Cooper : 50 Marathons in 56 Days

My name is Mark Cooper; I am 28 years old and live in Edinburgh. I began running in 2007 after nearly a decade of heavy smoking and regular drinking. I decided one day in 2007 to drop the habits that were holding me back and to get into fitness. Fast forward 4 years and it is safe to say that taking up sport was the best decision I ever took.

In the beginning I ran in local races, 10k’s and 5k’s, working my way up to marathons and eventually ultramarathons. The thrill of going out, picking a direction and just running still gets me excited, it is now such a huge part of my life I cannot imagine my world without it, it has given me so much.
When I was asked to write a weekly blog for Orbana I was over the moon. The greatest thrill I get is from helping others achieve their own goals in life.

In the past three years I have completed a cycle from Lands End to John O Groats but my main challenge came in 2010 when I set out to run from Amsterdam to Barcelona. The trip would consist of running 1,311 miles in 56 days or in other terms, 50 marathons in 56 days.

I did this in memory of my late Mother.

I was only able to complete this trip by drawing on what I had learnt from others, I hope that in my weekly posts you can find something that speaks to you and that I can help to take your training/racing to the level you want it at.

I look forward to building a relationship with all of my readers,

For more information you can visit my website which is www.runwithmark.com

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVVBjnqt4qE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

See you next week where I will be discussing mental strength and some of the tricks I picked up when running 50 marathons