Marathon runner set to complete A-Z challenge

Jon Strong has completed 25 marathons in his A-Z challenge [Jon Strong]

A retired teacher is preparing to finally complete an A-Z marathon effort by ticking off the final letter needed.

Jon Strong has run 25 marathons since he started the challenge in 2014 with each starting with a different letter of the alphabet, but had struggled to find a race beginning with J he could do.

However, the 60-year-old is set to run the Jersey Marathon on 4 October after he recently retired as a teacher at Dame Allan's School in Newcastle.

Strong said he had wanted to do the island's marathon for a while, but because of his preference of travelling by boat rather than planes due to environmental reasons, he had struggled to fit the event around his teaching job.

"I've known about the Jersey Marathon for ages, but because of the ferry schedules, there was no way to get there and back for Monday morning school," Strong, who used to be head of modern languages at Dame Allan's, said.

Strong has completed marathons in cities including Venice and Rotterdam along with more unusual races including the X-ray Marathon in Germany.

"The challenge has provided a great reason to go to 26 places I wouldn't have necessarily visited otherwise," he said.

"I try not to fly, so the only other possible marathon beginning with J was the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland, which is uphill all the way."

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The University of Cambridge graduate retired from teaching at the end of the summer term after spending 28 years at Dame Allan's, having previously worked in London at Harrow School and Westminster School.

He said one of his highlights was teaching his own children as well as training regularly on the school playing fields, completing "thousands of laps" around the course.

Organisers of the Jersey Marathon said more than 2,000 participants were expected to take part in this year's event.

Along with the main race, the event will also feature a relay race and a marathon mile run.

Anyone who wants to participate in the marathon can find more details on the event's website.

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