Teenager starts challenge to run 25 half-marathons in 25 days

Jono Hedley, a student at Oakham School, has already generated nearly £5,000 for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) after starting his gruelling challenge on Thursday.

He plans to run the 25th half-marathon on Christmas Day before tucking into his festive dinner with family members.

Jono explained why the charity is close to his heart: “I chose to do this because I know a lot of people, including myself, struggled with their mental health during the Covid lockdown and it’s something I wanted to raise awareness and money for.

“I knew I wanted to push myself to my limit so I chose running because, whilst it’s something I enjoy, running a half-marathon every day for nearly a month will be really tough.

"Before this, I tended to run once or twice a week, but I wouldn’t say I’m an exceptional runner.

"I’m hoping to be by the end of this though.”

Jono has a large support network joining him on some of the runs, including fellow pupils, staff members and even a celebrity guest.

Each evening after the activity, he is hosting a podcast on mental health with a range of guests.

As a weekly boarding pupil, a lot of the runs will be based around Oakham and in Rutland so Jonathan will seek out the flatter routes where he can.

He trained by running 10km a day and planned out several routes to mix up his half-marathons.

He added: “I’m lucky to have a lot of support at school as there are a few members of staff I’ve been able to turn to for advice.

“The most important thing in the challenge is the recovery before and after each run so I’m going to make sure I do a lot of stretching, take ice baths and use a massage gun and foam roller to help my muscles.”

Last year Jono raised £2,750 for Neuroendocrine Cancer UK by running 10km a day for over two weeks.

Click HERE to sponsor him for his current challenge of running 25 half-marathons in 25 days.