Wigan man runs 5k for 500 days in a row

Matthew back at Mesnes Park where his extraordinary run challenge began

Footsore Matthew Melling, from Pemberton, clocked up 500 consecutive days of doing at least a 5k on foot last week.

He marked the occasion in style, completing no fewer than five runs of 5km around the borough during the day.

He started in Mesnes Park for his first 5k run before heading to Haigh Hall and its surrounding grounds and the inside of the DW Stadium.

He then boarded a treadmill at the Total Fitness gym in Marus Bridge before concluding with a run at a mystery location, where supporters on Facebook could win a prize by guessing where he was running as he livestreamed it.

Matthew has been using his running for good causes since beginning the exhausting challenge, firstly supporting a grass-roots homelessness organisation and now bringing in money to send the dodgeball team he coaches at Wigan Youth Zone to a world championship in New York.

The 34-year-old said: “I’m keeping going with this and the adrenaline flows because of the support from everybody.

“It was really good to be in Wigan for the 500th day.

“I’m doing well with injuries at the moment and it would be nice to get to 1,000 days, but I have to see how my body feels each day.

“On a nice day it’s not hard to get up and go for a run, but the temperatures are rising at the moment and I actually prefer running in colder weather, as many runners do.

“The heat makes it tougher.

“It’s always nice to run in new places because that makes it exciting and interesting.

“I’m going to keep going for as long as I physically can because there is still a lot of money to raise for the dodgeball team to get them to New York.”

Matthew’s quest has seen him put on the running gear in a variety of locations, including Reykjavik in Iceland and Chernobyl where he actually completed a 5k run inside the zone which was abandoned following the nuclear explosion.

And so the running continues today, tomorrow and the day after.

To find out more about Matthew’s latest exploits, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matthew-melling1