Nick Butter runs 42 km coastline within five hours

KUWAIT: Running marathons in 162 countries is not easy. But for Nick Butter, it was a task that took his full dedication for the sake of his friend Kevin Webber, who has terminal prostate cancer. The British Embassy in Kuwait supported Butter to complete his 164th marathon in Kuwait on Friday. He started out from Radisson Blu Hotel on Taawoun Street, running 42 km to Shuwaikh Port within five hours. On his route, he met many people out for morning exercises, cyclists, fellow runners and even some Harley Davidson enthusiasts.

Butter has raised £70,000 during his trip around the world. "I met my friend Kevin Webber and learned he was dying, but was still full of hope. I decided to spread awareness about prostate cancer that many do not know much about," he said. In Jan 2018, Butter set off to run a marathon in every country in the world - he plans to run through 196 countries including war-torn areas and places of political unrest to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. "I spent two years planning this trip. I gathered a team and started my trip to run around the world on January 2018," he told Kuwait Times.

Butter is an inspiration for many on social media. He inspired a lot of people to get their prostate cancer check-up and some were diagnosed with it. "Early detection tests will lower the risk of death from prostate cancer," he said. He hopes to smash world records and raise at least £250,000 for Prostate Cancer UK, as well as raising awareness that all men should get checked regularly.

He revealed the difficulties he faced running in Africa for hours in the heat. "You need a lot of water, but not finding water at the right time is scary. I drink five to eight liters of water during a marathon. Also, I was bitten by a dog. Stray dogs always want to chase runners. Running usually takes between three to five hours. Running through beaches, desert sand or in bad weather is always tough and slow," Butter said.
"I have to take into account that some countries have laws and rules - like I cannot run topless or may get arrested for spitting while running. Also, traffic is a big issue, where some drivers drive anywhere they like. You have to be careful, as some countries do not have traffic lights or electricity, so it is chaotic," he pointed out.

By Faten Omar