Surrey brothers to complete double marathon in memory of father

Brothers' run double marathon in memory of father

Three brothers who are running two back-to-back marathons in memory of their father say they want to show the power of having a good support network.

Charlie, Ben and Will Smith set up The Hunchman Trust after losing their father Julian, known as "Hunch", to suicide in 2010.

They will be running from Weybridge in Surrey to Fulham in London on Saturday, and back again on Sunday.

The endurance event, which this year involves 84 runners, is the latest organised by the brothers to raise money to support people affected by suicide.

Ben said: "There's something about endurance challenges and that shared struggle that is stronger than just meeting at the pub. It builds that community.

"The charity comes from a positive aspect of us being appreciative of the environment that we had around us and knowing that that is not a common thing.

"Our message to people is that getting through something as a team together makes everything so much easier to deal with."

This year's event, dubbed "RunHunchmanRun", is the third iteration of the double marathon event, which first took place in 2024.

Last year's event, involving 56 runners, raised £139,000 for the charity, and the brothers say the charity has raised about £345,000 in total.

Previous events include Charlie Smith running from his father's old house in Fetcham to Somerset, where his ashes were scattered, and then cycling back with friend Chester Allen.

Charlie also holds the world record for the longest bowling run up in a cricket game, running 53km (32.3 miles) before delivering the first ball of a match in 2025.

Charlie said: "It's been amazing to see people grow and help each other through this challenge.

"You realise how much you can do and achieve with a community and a good group of people."

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