40 marathons in 40 days to get young on right track

Challenge: Michael Tobin aims to help disadvantaged young people via the Prince’s Trust
Alex Lentati
John Dunne @jhdunne11 July 2016

An internet pioneer is aiming to raise more than £1 million for charity by completing a marathon a day for 40 consecutive days.

Michael Tobin OBE is running for the Prince’s Trust to mark its 40th anniversary. He will be pounding the streets from his south London home on various routes around the capital — stopping off only to give motivational speeches as part of his fundraising. His first marathon will be next Saturday.

Mr Tobin, 52, said he supported the Prince’s Trust because it helped disadvantaged young people “get on the right track” after he himself suffered a turbulent upbringing.

He moved to Rhodesia as a child and “dodged bullets and petrol bombs” during the state’s chaotic declaration of independence, before returning home to London. His family struggled and he ended up living in a Stockwell squat before winning an apprenticeship at a factory equipment maker. Mr Tobin then went into business, becoming a successful tech entrepreneur culminating in the multi-billion pound sale of his company Telecity.

Mr Tobin, who lives in Bermondsey, said: “My life could have gone either way when I was younger. It was almost down to the toss of a coin as to where I would end up next and it was only thanks to a few people giving me a break that I got to where I am today.

“This is why I want to run the 40 marathons as a fitting way to raise money for the Prince’s Trust on its 40th anniversary. So many young people need help to get them back on the right side of the tracks. I didn’t go to university but got an apprenticeship and worked hard. I want to help provide opportunities for these young people. I feel very strongly about it.”

Mr Tobin, who has run 30 marathons and 50 half marathons, will have no support team and every penny he raises will go to the charity. If a company is sponsoring him on a certain day, they will decide what he will wear on the run.

Most days he will start at home and finish there via a variety of London bridges but on one of the days he will observe a commitment in New York so will do some of the run there.

Mr Tobin, who received an OBE for his services to the digital economy in 2014, said: “My children think I am mad but I am very determined. It’s almost impossible to train for something like this and I will have to pace myself.”

Among the companies which are sponsoring and hosting him on his 40 day challenge are Dell and Fujitsu. He has already clocked up more than £17,000 via his JustGiving page.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT