REDDITCH adventure runner Dr Doug Richards reached a personal milestone last weekend at Arrow Valley parkrun.
Doug, chosen as a baton bearer for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, is one of the few people in the world who has run at least a half marathon on all seven continents of the globe before their 70th birthday.
With that many miles under his belt, he was fast approaching the magic figure of 24,902 miles which is the circumference of the planet around the equator.
Doug reached the milestone at the Arrow Valley parkrun where he is a regular.
He said: “Ever since my first one mile run back in 1981, I have always kept a running diary.
“Although I took a break from running between 1987 and 1994, when life threw other challenges at me, I have been running consistently since 1995 and now my cumulative mileage has reached 24,902 miles.
“I ran with my son, Chris, and it was a fun event as several runners were dressed in Halloween costumes as well.
“I even had enough energy to run the Redditch Kingfisher 10K on the Sunday morning.”
From Winyates Green, Doug is already well-known for his running exploits around the world, having had two books published about his adventures.
He has also raised thousands of pounds for charities around the Midlands, and is a run leader and mental health champion for England Athletics.
