From Topsham Quay and back again, Steve James ran a marathon a day around Britain

On 1 November 2025, Steve James ran the last 26.2 miles of a journey that had started on the same spot. Topsham Quay, on the River Exe in Devon, was where he had set off on 16 April. In between, he had run a marathon every day, 200 of them in a row, around the whole coastline of mainland Britain: 5,240 miles (about 8,430 km).

James, 66, is a retired banker who lives and trains on Dartmoor, after a 40-year career in finance. Online he calls himself “Banker on the Run”. He turned 66 on the final leg and, as he pointed out, became a state pensioner somewhere along the way.

Storms, gout and seven pairs of trainers

The route took him through two named storms, Floris and Amy. He wore out seven pairs of trainers and, by his count, climbed the height of Everest ten times over. Coast paths closed in front of him. His feet blistered badly, and a flare-up of gout sent him to A&E (the emergency department). He finished without injury.

“It’s been months of pushing my body to its limits.” — Steve James, to the University of Exeter

He had form. As a schoolboy he took part in Ten Tors, the Dartmoor expedition challenge, and in 2019 he cycled around the world in 220 days. He ran this time for Cancer Research UK and the Devon and Exeter Scouts, and raised more than £14,000, The Moorlander reported.

He is thought to be the first person over 60 to run the circuit. The record belongs to Nick Butter, who ran it in 128 days at 31. James was not chasing it.

“There were plenty of days I thought, ‘What on earth am I doing?’” — Steve James, to the University of Exeter

A body under a microscope

The run doubled as an experiment. Researchers at the University of Exeter recorded his daily calorie intake, energy use and body composition, and he sent them a blood sample every fortnight from the road. Dr Freyja Haigh, a nutritional physiology researcher, wanted to know how the body copes with the demands of seven months of extreme endurance.

The early results were good news. He had spent months burning more energy than he could eat, yet the blood tests showed no sign of harm, and the measurements suggested the weight he lost was fat rather than muscle.

“We’ve seen no detriment to overall health, from the fortnightly blood samples Steve has sent us.” — Dr Freyja Haigh, University of Exeter

The team planned to bring him back to the lab after the finish to see how much muscle he had kept.

Why this matters

One runner is not a study of everyone, and nobody needs to run 200 marathons. But the Exeter measurements point the same way as the everyday advice. The NHS (the UK health service) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, with running on its list of vigorous examples, plus strengthening activities on at least two days. Keeping muscle under a heavy load is exactly what that strength work is for.

How to build up

The skill James showed is less about speed than about repeating a long day. If you are new to running, the NHS’s Couch to 5K plan builds from walking to 5 km (3.1 miles) in nine weeks; our Couch to 5K guide explains how it works. If you already run, the next step is back-to-back long runs at an easy pace, then a few days in a row on a coast or trail path. Mike Barnes took a different route into marathons, and Nancy Zelick showed how pace carries you through seven months on a trail. Check with a GP (family doctor) first if you have not exercised for a while or have a heart condition.