Talk about a great feet of strength, a Wiltshire man is this month running 13-mile half-marathons every day for 31 days – and he’s doing it barefoot.

Ben Weeks, a 45-year-old commercial property consultant from Cherhill, near Calne, has set himself the staggering target of running a total of 406 miles by the end of the month.

And the challenge is keeping him on his toes because Ben aims to not only keep on track every day but he’s also bidding to break the current world record, which stands at 20 consecutive half-marathons run without any shoes on.

Each day Ben is running a route on the Marlborough Downs and what’s keeping him going is a very good cause - he is aiming to raise £10,000 for the Young Lives vs Cancer charity.

After running in shoes for 17 years, Ben took to barefoot running during the lockdown.

“I thought I’d have a go and I discovered that your barefoot is perfectly designed for running anyway, you push yourself off with your toes a lot more, so why encase it in a super-lined shoe?” said Ben.

Naturally everyone asks, but doesn’t it hurt?

“And the simple answer is no,” he said.

“I’ve fallen down rabbit holes a few times but running barefoot just leaves your feet tingling. You do get thorns and things in your feet that you have to dig out and there’s a bit of a throb, but you get used to it.”

Ben is hoping to raise the £10,000 in tandem with his pal Vic Owens, who is also doing the sponsored 31 half-marathons at her base in North Wales.

Miffy Kilby from the cancer charity said the pair first got involved in fundraising for Young Lives vs Cancer via the Instagram running community Wildrunners.

“Ben and Vic’s target of £10,000 could cover the cost of a family staying for nine months in one of our homes that provide free accommodation near to specialist children’s cancer treatment centres, which are often many miles from a family’s own home,” said Miffy.

“Last year, Young Lives vs Cancer helped 98 families across Wiltshire to find the strength to face everything cancer throws at them. The charity gave out 77 financial grants to the value of £15,555 helping families to cope with the costs of cancer.” 

Ben added: “As parents, knowing there is support through organisations such as Young Lives vs Cancer is a massive relief, and so the least Vic & I could do is put our bare feet through their paces for such a great cause.”

To sponsor Ben go to justgiving.com/fundraising/GWRBarefoothalfmarathons