Meet Liverpool's marathon man

Reds fan Steven Hill from West Derby decided to take on the mammoth challenge in order to raise funds for baby hospice Zoe's Place.

He began running on May 16 and will continue until June 24 - the day of his 40th birthday.

"I decided I wanted to do something for my 40th birthday and try to help somebody else," explains Steven. "I read about other people running marathons and decided to do it - but instead of just doing one, I'd do 40 marathons to reach my 40th."

"The work Zoe's Place do is phenomenal and I wanted to give something to the children there and try to help them.

"Zoe's Place is very close to where I live and whenever I go there, I think about how blessed I am to have two kids who are healthy.

"My routes differ every night. I have a GPS system on my watch, which tells me how many miles I've ran.

"My kids are my inspiration - I want to make them proud."

As recently as a few short months ago, Steven was smoking around 20 cigarettes a day and consuming alcohol most evenings - however taking on the challenge of 40 marathons in as many days has helped him give up those vices as he strives to make a difference.

"Running marathons is a completely new thing to me," he admits. "I was a bit of a smoker and drinker and in a way, this has helped me to give them up by starting a training regime.

"My training began just after Valentine's Day. I took my missus out, had my last cigarette and lager, and then on February 17 I began training.

"In eight or nine weeks, I ran about 600 miles in training, building it up from five-mile runs to 10-mile runs.

"I never got one single blister or injury while I was training, but as soon as I started the marathons I began picking up injuries!

"In the first four marathons, I was trying to run them like a race and so I wasn't stopping. But after I started picking up injuries, I slowed down a little bit and had to hobble round three of the marathons in pain.

"I never gave in and kept going and now all of the injuries seem to have dissipated and I'm on the mend. My body has got used to the marathons and I just coast along now.

"I can complete them in about five hours at a nice, steady pace."

He adds: "The support from the Liverpool people has been fantastic and the noise of the car horns beeping and the sights of people waving as I'm running along keeps me going.

"I've actually played out finishing my last marathon in my head a couple of times while I've been out on the road - it's going to be like a Liverpool homecoming with a trophy!"

Carol Kirkham, fundraising manager for Zoe's Place, said: "My first reaction to Steven's 40 marathons in 40 days was, 'Are you crazy?'

"When he came in to tell us he was going to embark on this challenge, we could not believe somebody was going to run 26.2 miles every single day for 40 days.

"We are delighted and Steven is such a remarkable person. Not only is he raising funding for Zoe's Place, but he's also raising our profile which is fantastic.

"The money that Steven raises will help us massively. We're currently undergoing refurbishment which will expand our hospice and improve the service we offer, and the money he raises will go towards that.

"We can't thank him enough."

To sponsor Scouse Marathon Man, visit Steven's Just Giving page by clicking here>>

Alternatively, you can send cheques made payable to Zoe's Place to 242 Princess Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, L12 6QH.

You can also run alongside Steve either for as long as you wish and may receive a free t-shirt or baseball cap for doing so. For details, telephone 07971 985734.