Nick Butter, an endurance runner form Dorset becomes the first person to run a marathon in in all 196 United Nations-recognised countries following completion of the Athens Classic Marathon in Greece on 10 November.
After setting the world record of running 26.2 mile races in every country, Butter said he felt “Reborn”.
The former banker took 22 months to complete the challenge, which he undertook in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, and was inspired to do by fellow runner Kevin Webster who he met during a race in the Sahara Desert.
Webber was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 and was told he had just two years to live.
Butter told the Press Association “Six or seven months into the journey I started to appreciate exactly what Webber had,”
“I don’t think you can truly understand life unless you are faced with something like Webber has had, you don’t really understand the value of life until you’re told you’re going to die,” he said.
The 28-year-old said that he was bitten by leeches in Nepal and suffered nine times form food poisoning during his epic mission.
Butter described his race in Guatemala as his favourite marathon, while Kuwait and Bangladesh as the toughest due to the high temperatures.
But it was the people Butter met along the way that he said made his experience so memorable.
”On Christmas Day I woke up to messages from 32 different nationalities wishing me happy Christmas.”
Butter’s next plans include doing talks about his experiences, including speaking events in schools.
“My message is, I don’t want people to just assume that they’ll be able to get to retirement, or live that dream tomorrow,” he said.
”If you’ve got time go and do it. It doesn’t have to be a big thing – just hug each other for a little bit longer, read another story at bed time, cycle to work instead of sitting in traffic.“
His message was for people to recognise the fragility of life and value the people in it.
Butter has raised nearly £70,000 of his £250,000 target for Prostate Cancer UK so far.
