A total of 2,221 laps and dodging the dog is the story for East London runner

They say marathon runners are a bomkers breed determined to push the barriers of endurance.

Some try multiple marathons, while East London Runner Maud Hodson has gone even further.

On Saturday morning at 9.30am she set off on her latest marathon as she tried to continue her marathon every month this year.

The big difference for this one was that because of lockdown it was in her back garden!

“My plan was to run a different marathon each month for the whole year and I managed to achieve that in January, February and even March,” said the 47-year-old.

“I wanted to do another marathon nd keep things going and so I came up with the idea of running one in the back garden!” she said.

“I am still allowed to go out for a run each day as my daily exercise, but I think running a four-hour marathon would have been pushing it a bit.”

Maybe, but logistically it might have been easier than what she attempted in her back garden.

“It is a small garden - about 8.5 metres long, and quite narrow,” she explained.

“I managed to refine that into a figure-of-eight lap of 19 metres, moving the garden chairs into the middle so I can run behind them, so now I will run 2,221 laps of the garden!”

And that is exactly what she managed, clocking a time of six hours and seven minutes for her effort.

“It went fine,” she said matter-of-factly. “I had to run more slowly because of the twists and turns and I had a toilet break after 1,111 laps, but I really enjoyed it.”

It was a remarkable effort and Maud also had to avoid dog Steevie along the way.

“The dog likes to run up and down the garden and bark at people going by, while he also wanted to lay down on the course, so I had to concentrate on avoiding him.”

So is this the craziest thing you have ever heard? Not to magical Maud.

“There was a guy in France who ran a marathon on his balcony and that was only seven metres long so there are some madder than me,” she laughed.

There was a practical aspect for the East London Runner who was also raising money for two charities.

“I am raising money for NHS Charities Together for obvious reasons at the moment and also for Refuge which looks after those who have been victims of domestic abuse, which has spiked since the lockdown began.”

Who knows what Maud is planning for May.

“I had thought about running up and down the stairs, but my legs are hurting doing that after Saturday’s marathon, so maybe that is not a good idea.

“I will have to have a think about it.”

Maud has raised £1,500 for her efforts so far. If you would like to contribute then go to her fundraising page at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=MaudHodson&pageUrl=4