megan boxall finished her 200th marathon on Sizewell beach on Saturday morning, closing a 204-day run around Britain’s coastline. The 33-year-old became the quickest woman to complete the full route after covering 5,240 miles across England, Scotland and Wales.
Sizewell Beach Finish
Boxall crossed the line back in Suffolk after starting the challenge on Sizewell beach on 18 October. She raised £57,000 for Samaritans along the way and finished 97 days faster than Elise Downing, who became the first woman to run around the entirety of the coast in 2016.
After the finish, she said: "It's been the most incredible morning, I cannot really believe I've done it - I've become the fastest woman to run the coastline of Britain". She also said: "It feels so nice to be back home in Suffolk, and I'm quite overwhelmed, but I'm feeling good – it was phenomenal, and I loved it."
Mental Health Drive
Boxall, an endurance runner and financial journalist, took on the challenge after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis the year before. She said Samaritans helped her with her mental health after that diagnosis, and she wanted to celebrate Britain while raising money and awareness for the charity.
She had also developed a passion for running after going jogging with her dog Shadow, and said she was inspired by her uncle, who walked around Britain’s coastline. Boxall described what she wanted to do after a period of intense darkness as to "shine a light".
Elise Downing Record
The route stretched for 8,433km and demanded a pace that left no room for drift. Boxall completed the challenge 97 days quicker than Downing, resetting the women’s benchmark for the full coastline and giving her finish in Suffolk a clear place in the record books.
Her own words matched the scale of the effort. After finishing her 200th marathon, she said: "Obviously, it has been hard, but it has been absolutely amazing and the most incredible and positive experience," and added: "The weather in the winter was really hard, and there were some quite big chunks that were incredibly windy, cold and lonely, but that's all forgotten now."
