King’s Lynn runner completes quest to take on all six major world marathons in one year
A Lynn runner has achieved his ambition to complete all six major world marathons.
TV journalist David Blackmore ran major marathons in Tokyo, Boston and London earlier this year, which was followed more recently by 26.2 milers in Berlin and Chicago.
On Sunday he managed New York, in a personal best of three hours and 40 minutes, meaning he has realised his goal of crossing the finish line of the six biggest major marathons in 2024.
The 38-year-old’s previous best had been 3:42 in Tokyo. He clocked 3:52 in Boston, 3:43 in London, just six days after Boston, 3:43 in Berlin and another 3:42 in Chicago, but nine seconds slower than in Japan.
Runners who complete all six major marathons are given a Six Star Medal, which was introduced by the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2016, and included in Abbott's Hall of Fame.
While 1,500 UK runners - 17,500 globally - have been awarded the Six Star Medal, only a handful have completed all six in a year. Globally, the average time it has taken runners to complete the six-star journey is eight and a half years, with the average age being 50 years and seven months.
David has now completed 10 marathons since April 2022 after running in Brighton, Vienna, Atlanta and Edinburgh in recent years.
As well as his marathon running, David has crossed finish lines at several big half marathons, including the London Landmarks, Big Half, Great North Run, Cambridge Half and Atlanta Thanksgiving Half.
"I love running because it’s simple. Put on shoes and go," said David. “Running is a great way to test my personal limits and I enjoy finding ways to challenge myself."
David has previously completed the 435-mile Lap of Anglia in August 2022 and also switched from running to cycling to take part in this year's 100-mile Ride London.
He's also previously completed a 2,280-mile virtual challenge to run the length of the USA's famous Route 66. It took David 363 days in 2022 to cover the distance from Chicago on the east coast to Santa Monica in California along the west coast.
The Route 66 challenge came after David completed a similar challenge in 2021 to run the equivalent distance of Land's End to John O'Groats which ended when he crossed the finish line of the Grand East Anglia Run in Lynn in August 2021.
