Travel Counsellors homeworker Claire Calladine has raised £6,270 for two charities after completing 50 marathons in 2025.
She began the challenge in January because she turned 50 this year and wanted to raise money for Dementia UK in memory of her late father, and Reuben’s Retreat, a children’s charity supported by Travel Counsellors and others in the industry.
For her final and 50th marathon, she ran 11 miles alone then was joined by friends and supporters for five 5k loops in a woodland area – then they returned to her gym for a celebration.
“The final marathon was honestly one of the most special days I’ve experienced,” she said.
“Everyone came at different times, did what they could, some ran, some walked, and others simply turned up to cheer me on – and that meant just as much.
“I was so touched by the turnout. It felt incredibly supportive and very emotional, especially knowing people had made time just to be part of it in whatever way they could.
“We finished up at Sweatbank Gym to mark the achievement, which felt like the perfect way to close the chapter. It wasn’t about pace or performance in the end – it was about community, support and shared moments.”
The homeworker, based in Hoar Cross, Staffordshire, overcame a painful hip injury this autumn, which meant her final marathon was on December 20 rather than December 6, as originally planned.
“In October, I really started to struggle with my left side. I have had aches and pains along the way, but this took me out,” she said.
It was diagnosed as an inflamed hip bursitis and she had to take three weeks out from her challenge, as she couldn’t even walk up and downstairs.
Fortunately, three courses of shock wave therapy helped the hip to improve so she could resume her challenge.
“After three weeks, I just cracked on [with running] because I couldn’t stop any longer,” she said.
It also meant she ran a few marathons at her gym on the treadmill instead of outdoors as normal.
“The gym opens early and – as it has taken me such a long time to do [the marathons] – it has enabled me to start early and get back home to work. I have been taking five hours, five hours 15, instead of four hours.”
Fortunately, before her injury, she had been well on track to reach her target, with events such as a ‘Backyard Ultramarathon’ in September.
During this, she ran every hour, on the hour, clocking up more than 52 miles in 13 hours.
Now her 2025 challenge is complete, she aims to return to injury-free running with friends and in events.
“Mentally, I found the challenge more difficult than anything else, especially the last 10 with the pain,” she said.
And her fundraising will continue in 2026, when she hosts a ‘day of empowerment’ event in March, which involves participants taking part in challenges such as walking on glass and hot coals.
Calladine also hailed the support from her chosen causes, who have been regularly checking in to see how she has been progressing.
She visited Reuben’s Retreat in Glossop, just before the Travel Counsellors conference in November, to see how the charity is supporting families who have suffered the loss of a child or have a child living with medical complexities.
As she has raised money for the charity, she has been given a pink brick with her name to go into a wall, as part of the “brick by brick” campaign to build an apartment at the site and remember Reuben’s fondness for Lego.
Amid all the marathons, she’s been running her travel business, mostly selling cruises and preparing for peaks.
Following the 50th marathon on Saturday, she gave away a prize hamper in a Facebook draw, run in partnership with local businesses to boost awareness and followers.
And in July, she also enjoyed a luxury cruise and holiday with her husband Nigel – a prize she won at the previous Travel Counsellors conference in 2024.
They travelled on Silversea’s Silver Muse and stayed at Domes Novos Santorini and Daios Cove in Crete.
To find out more and to donate to the challenge, click here.
Below: Claire celebrates after her 50th marathon in 2025. By Ian Barstow – Draycott Photography.
