Other Sport / Bristol
Interview: Nick Butter
Bristol resident Nick Butter plans to visit every country in the world during 2018, and run a marathon in each while he’s there – a record-breaking 196 in total. He hopes to raise £250,000 for Prostate Cancer UK over the course of this year, while also preparing physically with a gruelling training schedule. Bristol 24/7 caught up with Nick during a rare moment that he wasn’t running.
When did your love of running begin?
I did my first marathon when I was 11. It happened by accident – it was a team event with school and most of my team dropped out. I wanted to do it, so I did it on my own and it ruined me, but I enjoyed it.
is needed now More than ever
After trying out skiing professionally and travelling for a bit, I quickly I realised that my competitive edge and mind-set were still the same and I wanted to go and compete, so I took up running seriously.
I’m naturally quite lean and tall and lanky – and therefore naturally a good build for long-distance running, so I carried on, and, 247 marathons later, I’m still running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX9FZLZzSg8
What motivates you to keep running?
I find running a peaceful escape to get away. It removes all the stresses of normal life. The longer you run for, the more peaceful and more relaxing it is – it’s basically like therapy.
My whole family are affected by a heart problem, including me. My mum recently had a heart attack, and has had various different heart operations over the years. My auntie and all of my grandparents died of heart attacks, causes by the same condition that I have, called a bicuspid aortic valve. It’s a deformation of one of the valves, which means that your heart can’t pump as efficiently as it should, and it means you can get tired more easily and have less stamina.
That was a real catalyst for getting into sport more, and a motivator for me to start raising money for charity through my running.
Where did the idea for running a marathon in every country come from?
It’s all about my friend Kevin, who I met in the desert doing the Marathon Des Sables, in the Sahara desert.
He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Before the diagnosis, he had just been sitting around, not doing everything he could have been. But once he found out he really didn’t have very long left to live, he developed this get-up-and-go attitude. It was a true example of making the most of time you’ve got left, and that was a real inspiration.
When he passed away, I wanted to do something special and give him a little bit of a legacy, as well as raising awareness for Prostate Cancer UK and, hopefully, saving a lot of lives in the process.
Nick in the Sahara desert
How is planning for the trip going?
There’s a lot to do. I’ve got to get 70 visas – and 39 of them are just for countries in Africa! Places like Saudia Arabia and Russia require me to be there in person at the embassy to get my fingerprint, so logistically it is an absolute nightmare. And, of course, there are some places, like Syria, that will be pretty dangerous to go to – and no UK embassy if things go wrong.
Going to every country includes the Vatican City, which is only about one mile in circumference. There’s just no space to run, so I’ll be running round and round in circle. I’ll probably have a captive audience there!
I’m also going to run a marathon in Antarctica – technically, it’s multiple nations, but I’ll be going there because it’s one of the main continents, so I can’t miss it.
How do you even begin to train for a challenge as massive as this?
I’m running 100–150 miles a week, mainly around Ashton Court and Bedminster, for fitness. I’ve got a couple of other challenges coming up this year to see if I’m ready – I’m running up Kilimanjaro in September, and I’m repeating my world record attempt to run the length of Ireland, which I couldn’t finish last time, so I’m going back to face my nemesis
I run three times a day, morning, lunchtime and evening. I generally do that every day, except for days when I’m travelling to a race, because I’m sat on a plane for too long.
I’m all or nothing – every one of my friends will tell you that. So, for me, there’s no point going out on a run a couple of times a week – it wouldn’t be enough.
Sometimes it’s not enjoyable, especially when it’s raining and hailing, but it doesn’t really matter: the harder it is, the more you feel a sense of achievement.
Nick regularly trains in Bristol
How can people get involved with your challenge?
The main thing about the whole trip is that I want to get people running with me. A big part is about understanding the culture and having a bit of a running community around the world.
I’m also looking to stay with people around the world, and to meet as many people as I can. You can sign up as a host or to run with my on my website.
I’m also in need of funds to make the trip happen, so I’m appealing to businesses and individuals to put a hand in their pocket and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. Even if it’s just a couple of quid, it all adds up.
To follow Nick’s progress and donate to Prostate Cancer UK, visit his website: www.nickbutterrunning.com
Read more: Making running easy for almost 30 years
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
