Marathon effort for Westcountry runner set to smash world record at Eden

August 16, 2010

A runner from Tavistock in Devon is due to become the youngest person ever to complete 100 marathons at this year’s Eden Project Marathon.

Adam Holland is only 23 and is due to smash the record, currently held by a 28-year-old, at the Eden race on October 10 (10/10/10).

Remarkably, he only started running competitively at the age of 16 and decided he would attempt to break the record in February 2008 when he had only six marathons under his belt.

He ran 25 races that year, followed by a staggering 39 in 2009 and plans to run 30 this year, with Eden’s second annual marathon capping a gargantuan effort.

Adam already holds the record for the fastest cumulative time to run ten marathons in ten days. He completed the races in 30 hours, 20 minutes and 54 seconds at the Brathay Challenge at Windermere this May, breaking his previous record by more than two and a half hours.

He was also part of the team of 12 who collectively ran the greatest distance in 48 hours on a treadmill. The competitors ran 868.64km (539.86 miles) at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year.

Adam said: “The prospect of completing my hundredth marathon this year still feels like a dream. I certainly never expected to be breaking the record this quickly - 2015 seemed like a more realistic target when I started - but I'm very happy to be doing it at the Eden Project.

“I'm looking forward to seeing lots of my friends and family at Eden and hope the weather is good so the runners can enjoy the landscape and the view of Eden as we run towards it.”

Adam – who will be running the Eden Marathon with the number 100 on his shirt – will be part of what organisers hope will be the biggest race ever run in Cornwall.

Applications for this year’s marathon, once again staged in collaboration with St. Austell Running Club, are due to close on September 10. The race day will see runners taking part in not only the full 26-mile distance, but also a half marathon.

The courses for the races will follow a similar route to last year, both starting in front of the iconic Biomes before spanning the landscape of the clay country and returning to finish at Eden.

Both full and half marathon courses are very challenging and designed to give runners a taste of the evolving landscape. Plus, in true Cornish style, entrants can enjoy a glass of Sharp’s ale and a pasty when they cross the finish line.

For more information, to get advice on training or to sign up to run, go to www.edenproject.com/marathon. Places are limited and given out on a first come, first served basis.