Everton fitness coach ticks off 'marathon of marathons' challenge
Jack Dowling finished off his 25-week long task with the London Marathon
An Everton fitness coach has officially finished his 6-month long challenge to raise money for the charity supporting his terminally ill brother.
Jack Dowling ran 25 marathons in 25 weeks for Macmillan Cancer Support, and has taken on the London Marathon for his final endeavour to knock off his 26:26 challenge.
The challenge is the equivalent distance of running from Liverpool to Berlin, and has been particularly gruelling for Jack, both mentally and physically.
Jack is raising money for the cancer charity, who looked after his brother Tom, who was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.
After six months of living with the condition, Tom sadly passed away last month, but despite his grief, Jack has pushed on to finish the challenge he set himself.
"The week after Tom passed, I struggled with that one. I asked myself, 'Why am I carrying on with this?' It's not going to change anything.'" he told us.
"But the reason is that I'm raising a lot of money for Macmillan Cancer and the amazing that they all do."
In total, Jack has already raised £60,000 in aid for the charity, who helped to provide invaluable support to the family during Tom's diagnosis.
Dowling admitted that the stint had been tough, but keeping Tom in his mind has been the driving force for Jack to get back on track.
"For me, it's a real shame that Tom isn't there to see it. And that's been tough for me," he explained.
"It'll be an emotional day crossing that finish line, but also really inspiring because a lot of people will be coming down to watch, to make sure that I can share that with everyone who's come and support me all the way through."