Ex-athlete runs marathon in tiny garden to raise money for coronavirus pandemic

Being stuck at home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic did not stop a British man from running an outdoor marathon.

James Campbell, a former professional javelin thrower, spent his 32nd birthday on Wednesday performing six-metre (20-foot) shuttles from one end of his small garden to the other, after he promised to run a marathon if one of his Twitter messages received 10,000 retweets.

By the time Campbell completed the marathon in just over five hours, he had raised more than 18,000 British pounds (20,175 Euros, 22,000 US dollars) for Britains National Health Service to help battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effort - labelled the #6metregardenmarathon - was live-streamed, with former England football great Geoff Hurst among the viewers.

Neighbours poked their heads over the backyard fence to give Campbell encouragement.

Campbell ran across a patch of grass, some stones and a small patio in 6-metre (20-foot) stretches.

He calculated that he would have had to traverse his yard at least 7,000 times to reach 42.2 kilometres (26.2 miles).

The link to Campbell's donation page is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-campbell0104