In what will be his biggest challenge to date, and running in aid of Dorothy House Hospice, Westfield marathon runner, John Reynolds, will be tackling 400 miles in four days at the beginning of May.

Having run around England, Scotland, Wales and also tackling his fear of heights and scaling French mountains, this will be the most mileage John will have put under his feet in such a short space of time. Whilst John has overcome challenges like this before, which often include him running through the night without sleep, he expects this particular challenge to be the most difficult.

John will be running four one hundred mile loops, non-stop, around Radstock, Bath, Corston, Keynsham, Bristol, Welton, Chew Stoke, East and West Harptree, Priddy, Wookey, Wells, Shepton Mallet and Oakhill, beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday, 3rd May from the White Post Inn and finishing at the same location at 2 p.m. on Bank Holiday Monday, 7th May.

Readers will have been following John’s story over the years and the remarkable fact that at one point, he had to retrain himself to walk solely to the end of his garden, following crippling pain from radiotherapy treatment; a walk that would take him two hours. Adamant not to be reliant on morphine for the pain in his body, John found that by keeping himself moving, his symptoms began to improve. He kept pushing, and around a month later, supported by his family, John managed to walk a mile.

Strengthened by his hard work, John ran his first ever Half Marathon in 2004, and has not looked back since. Five years later, on one of his first big challenges, John was joined by Olympian, Jo Pavey, as he ran 110 miles between Barnstaple and Bristol. He would later be honoured as an Olympic torchbearer for his running feats.

John has raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years, and a great deal of awareness for those that he runs for, too – often attracting media attention on local television and radio. He is a Patron for local charity, Time is Precious, and as well as working full-time, has often visited local schools to encourage children to have a go at running.

Affected by personal tragedy, in 2010 John found himself without his partner and two dear cousins who suddenly passed away; and vowed to continue upping his efforts in tribute to them. In 2012, he travelled to America and became a World Record holder when he ran 440 miles in six days and eight hours.

After becoming a Run Leader with England Athletics, he also began supporting people learning to run. In recent years, John has inspired locals across the area to lace up their trainers and run regularly with his free group, Westfield TT, which now has a dedicated community of runners who meet throughout the week and are completing their own challenges. They, and everyone else, will be rooting for you, John!

Readers will be able to follow John’s progress via Twitter @johnreynolds400 and Facebook: Johnreynolds400 and also on spytrackgps.co.uk (username: [email protected] password: WestfieldTT) where he will be updating followers on his route and timings. It is always a great boost to him when people turn out to cheer him on! To donate, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/johnreynolds