Essex vet completes awe-inspiring year of fundraising challenges for Brooke

At the start of the year, equine vet Ben Portus, from Stebbing in Essex, planned to run what would be his fourth consecutive London Marathon in aid of Brooke, along with the Edinburgh Marathon and Cornwall’s Classic Quarter 44 mile Ultramarathon.

Of course, by now we all know that Covid-19 had other plans. However, Ben was determined to continue raising funds for Brooke any way he could.

Starting with the London Marathon, Ben decided to take on his own personal marathon on Sunday 26 April, the day the event was originally due to take place. Sticking to lockdown rules, he ran 6.2 miles on roads around his home and then completed the remaining distance by running 40 half-mile zig-zagging laps of his garden.  

Ben followed this with the postponed and socially-distanced version of the Classic Quarter on Saturday 5 September, completing 44.5 miles of rugged steep coastline from Lizard Point to Land’s End in 9 hours and 50 minutes.

Next up, Ben was joined by his father, Jim, for another virtual London Marathon on Sunday 4 October from Haytor Rock to Turf Lock, Exeter, before finally taking on the Endurance Life Suffolk trail marathon in Dunwich on Saturday 24 October.

As we approach the end of 2020, Ben has raised an amazing £3407 to help working horses, donkeys and mules around the world. Thanks to his dedication, Brooke will be able to reach more communities, train more farriers and vets, and ensure animals and their owners have a better outlook for the future.

Ben, who runs Paton and Lee Equine Veterinary Surgery in Witham, has been donating to Brooke since 2006. On behalf of everyone at Brooke, thank you Ben!