A RUNNING fanatic has celebrated his 100th marathon with the publication of a second book.

Martin Thomerson, from Great Sankey, has penned his epic challenge of covering Europe’s toughest trail race before focusing on the magic marathon number.

The 47-year-old is a member of Warrington Running Club and enjoys sporting his primrose and blue top while competing.

His second book, A Long Way to Run, is the sequel to It Kept Me off the Streets which focused on mountain running and reached number one in Amazon’s Running chart.

Martin said: “I’ve been running since I was at school, but during my twenties I spent more time cycling and climbing mountains. I took up running more seriously in my thirties to speed up my trips by fell running rather than walking.

“In 2010, I ran my first 100-mile race on the South Downs Way, an epic journey taking 29 hours.

Martin progressed through more mountainous ultras, running a total of thirteen 100-mile races. The most challenging was the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, a 106-mile circuit around Mont Blanc, climbing and descending a height greater than Everest.

This was the culmination of an eight-year focus on the 100-mile distance, with qualifying races required to get to the start line.

Martin added: “I love the challenge of the big races. They require you to focus and prepare for months, training to become physically fit, but with the added challenge of needing huge mental strength to keep going over such a long period of time.

“You must be self-sufficient in carrying your gear, navigating, eating and drinking, as well as managing yourself in bad weather and darkness, which all adds to the challenge.”

Martin’s books are both available on Amazon.