A RETIRED banker who is striving to become the first man over the age of 60 to run the entire coastline of mainland Britain has reached Scotland as he completes his 50th consecutive day of running.

Reaching the border marks the quarter-point of his goal to run 200 marathons in 200 days, while researchers at the University of Exeter monitor the impact on his body.

Steve James, 65, set off from Topsham, Devon, on Wednesday, April 16, and will end his feat there after running anticlockwise around the coast for seven months.

He currently runs for around six hours each day, occasionally staying with his wife in their camper van, or in a variety of accommodation.

Mr James, who lives and trained on Dartmoor, supported by his wife and their five children, said: “I’m so proud to have made it to over 50 days.

“I’ve made it all the way from Exeter along the coast to the Scottish border, a total of 1,380 miles.

“There have been a few bumps along the way, but I’ve overcome them all and am that much stronger because of it and ready to take on the next stage.

“I’m really looking forward to the many facets of the Scottish coastline and meeting the people of this beautiful country.”

Mr James has already faced hardships on his journey, running through harsh weather conditions, closed footpaths, severely blistered feet, and a gout flareup resulting in a trip to A&E.

The Exeter research team assessed Mr James before his departure, and continue to monitor him throughout this challenge, while he captures his own measurements daily for them to analyse. They are studying his calorie intake, blood, oxygen and muscle measurements to examine the effect of such an extreme sport on the body.

Mr James said: “By the end of this challenge, the scientists will have more insight into how far a 65-year-old person can push their body!”

At this stage the team has seen no adverse effects of this high endurance challenge in the blood samples which are being used to measure hormone fluctuations, inflammation and overall health. Mr James has lost weight although this was a likely result the researchers anticipated due to his extreme calorie output.

Dr Freyja Haigh, nutritional physiology researcher at the University of Exeter, said: “We’re currently tracking Steve’s energy intake and expenditure in order to assess any changes in body mass, which is to be expected with this very physical challenge. We’re unsure at the moment if Steve’s weight loss is from fat or muscle mass. I’m hoping to visit him in the near future to take muscle thickness measurements at multiple points on the body to compare with those we took before he left.”

Throughout his life, Mr James has loved physical challenges, building from taking part in Ten Tors while at school, to cycling around the world in 220 days in 2019.

The record for running the British coastline is held by Nick Butter, who completed the feat in 128 days at the age of 31. Mr James is the first person over 60 to take on the feat.

You can follow the rest of his journey on his adventure as Banker on the Run on social media. You can also support his exploits by donating to his JustGiving page raising money for Cancer Research UK.