For many, running a marathon is the pinnacle of their fitness endeavours. For Gary McKee, it’s just another day in the office. Or, more accurately, just another marathon before going to the office.
McKee ran a marathon every day of 2022 to raise money for cancer treatment, and a simple multiplication of 26.2 x 365 reveals he ran 9,500 miles (15,300km) during the year, equivalent to crossing the United States three times.
He ran through 20 pairs of running shoes, and what’s more, his daily marathons were just a warm up before going to work in the morning at the Sellafield nuclear site, in north west England.
On New Year’s Eve he finished his final marathon to cheering crowds and fireworks near his Cumbrian home - just as news came in that he had made his £1 million target mark for donations to Macmillan Cancer Support and West Cumbria Hospice at Home.
“It’s difficult to put into words how grateful we are to Gary for taking on this unbelievable challenge,” said Hayley McKay, director of funding and communications for Hospice At Home West Cumbria. “The physical and mental strength he has shown is incomprehensible.”
After McKee was finished, he expressed his contentment in laconic terms, telling the BBC “we’ve done the job.”