This Guy Just Ran the Boston Marathon by Doing 1,000 Laps on His Roof
The Boston Marathon, traditionally held on Patriots' Day each year, was postponed until Monday September 14 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has led to the cancelation of numerous large gatherings and sporting events, including the Olympic Games. But one keen runner didn't want to let all of his training go to waste.
With the event no longer taking place, Stephen England decided to go ahead and run the Boston Marathon anyway. And seeing as lockdown rules meant he couldn't exactly take to the streets, he ran the full length of the track by doing laps on the rooftop terrace of his apartment building in New York City.
England also took the opportunity to raise some money for the "health heroes of NYC," specifically the Naomie Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University. He's been a patient there for eight years, having lived with type 1 diabetes since he was a teenager, and says the facility was struggling to find funding and resources as a lot of their staff had been called to the front lines of coronavirus treatment.
"I have this desire to share my type 1 diabetes endurance with the world," England told the New York Post. "There's a stigma about diabetes that you shouldn't push your body. It is fear-based. I want to show the world what was possible while living with diabetes."
A post shared by Stephen England (@rundiabetes) on Apr 20, 2020 at 5:41pm PDT
Calculating that 1,098 loops of his 38 by 25 foot terrace would be equal to the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon course, England commenced his run at 6 a.m. on Monday April 20, live-streaming his progress on Facebook and Instagram. He reached the "finish line" (a scarf held by his wife Tiffany) with a time of 5 hours, 29 minutes and 37 seconds, having raised more than $1,000 for health workers.
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