Running the London Underground was not enough for ultra runner Jonny Davies, who is currently over 700km into his next running fundraiser – Run the Capitals.
Davies, 32, has set out to run to the five capital cities of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In total, Davies is facing a 900km challenge in just 11 days, with a total elevation gain of over 8,500m, almost the height of Mount Everest.
The challenge started in Edinburgh on 12 September, running 186km across Scotland before boarding a ferry to Belfast, then continuing down Ireland for 174km to Dublin.
Once in Dublin, Davies boarded a ferry to Holyhead and he has spent the last five days running 326km south to Cardiff and continuing through the night to Newport, hitting the 700km mark.
As Davies reached Cardiff Castle late on 20 September, he was surrounded by a group of local runners all hoping to boost his morale and support him as he locks in for the last three days of the challenge.
“It means everything, I would still be stuck in Scotland if it wasn’t for these guys here,” Davies said.
“That support, care, love and trust is what gets you through those tough moments.
“I am not just doing it for myself, I am doing it to make these guys proud, to make everyone back home proud.”
With over 700km complete, Davies embarks on the final leg of his fundraiser to raise money and awareness for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a suicide prevention charity.
He hopes to destigmatise talking about mental health by raising awareness and using his social media platform to reach people across the world.
“That is the beautiful thing about community run projects, so many people come together to make connections and to make friends,” Davies added.
“Running is such a beautiful thing, not only for your personal health but for your mental health as well.
“I think we live in a society these days where people find it really hard to connect with people or make friends.
“Especially young people, they are the most effected these days by mental health.”
When asked about the challenges of with running through Wales, Davies said: “On a map it’s not very hilly, but it turns out when you run the whole length of Wales it is incredibly hilly.
“Tomorrow is going to be a flatter day into England.
“Today was downhill which people think is really easy when you’re running but it’s not, its really hard on the quads and my legs have been feeling horrible all day.
“Last night we had a group from the army help march us up Pen y Fan at midnight to make sure we got our distances in for the day, and then this morning they left me to my own devices to run down it.”
The total elevation gain for his route will amount to more than 8,500m, with half of the elevation being climbed during his Wales stint.
Davies will his run in London on Monday, 23 September after running a total distance ran of 920km.
When asked what his next challenge might be, Davies jokingly said: “Go run a 5km, nothing to this scale.
“It takes a long time to plan these things and to recover from these things as well, but we never know.”
