Ben pulls his socks up with six marathons in six days for charity

For Ben, who is account manufacturer for SockMine, was able to keep his feet blister-free as he raised £14,040 from the gruelling challenge, which culminated in the iconic London Marathon.

“It feels incredible to have achieved this feat and to have raised to much for charity in the process,” said the 26-year-old, who is from Nottingham.

Ben completed the marathons with two friends, Jason Easy and Katie Bell, who both work for the BBC. All sponsored, they started their trek when running the equivalent of five marathon distances, 131 miles, over five days along the Grand Union Canal, which links Birmingham to London.

It was then time for the big one in the capital, which Ben and Katie completed in just over five hours, while Jason clocked three hours, 42 minutes.

The money they generated will go towards the Light Fund, which is the licensing industry’s fundraising body and supports charities such as the Children’s Trust, Challenge Africa, the Orchid Cancer Appeal and Newlife, which provides specialist care for disabled and terminally ill children.

“I’d like to thank everyone who supported us throughout the challenge, especially those who were generous with their donations,” said Ben. “My family and friends were a great support, especially my dad, Martin, who was our driver, coach and motivator.

“It was a real physical challenge and one of many mixed emotions. The fifth day was particularly hard for me, but we were there for each other and kept going.”

SockMine is part of Roy Lowe and Sons, a textiles manufacturer established in 1996 by Ben’s father and his brother, Tim. It makes technical, award-winning socks for a range of sports.

Ben added: “We pride ourselves on the way that SockMine socks care for your feet, enabling athletes of all abilities to compete harder and for longer. It was certainly true in our case!”