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| Run, Izzard, run and run again | Run, Izzard, run and run again |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| It's the last leg of Eddie Izzard's 43 marathons in 51 days. How did the less than athletic comic pull off such a feat of endurance? | It's the last leg of Eddie Izzard's 43 marathons in 51 days. How did the less than athletic comic pull off such a feat of endurance? |
| Running into London's Trafalgar Square on Tuesday, Eddie Izzard took the last of 1.6m steps, from the 43 marathons he has completed in 51 days. | Running into London's Trafalgar Square on Tuesday, Eddie Izzard took the last of 1.6m steps, from the 43 marathons he has completed in 51 days. |
| He has run at least 27 miles a day, six days a week, over the past seven weeks, covering more than 1,110 miles of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. | He has run at least 27 miles a day, six days a week, over the past seven weeks, covering more than 1,110 miles of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. |
| An ''exhausted'' Eddie Izzard runs through the finishing line | |
| The aim - to raise what he calls, in classic whimsical Izzard style, "billions" for charity Sport Relief. | The aim - to raise what he calls, in classic whimsical Izzard style, "billions" for charity Sport Relief. |
| Just the one marathon race is enough for super-fit modern athletes, and the pinnacle of achievement for "fun runners". The suggested recovery time afterwards is two to three weeks. | Just the one marathon race is enough for super-fit modern athletes, and the pinnacle of achievement for "fun runners". The suggested recovery time afterwards is two to three weeks. |
| It seemed impressive enough when hardened explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes ran seven marathons, in seven days, on seven continents in 2003. | It seemed impressive enough when hardened explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes ran seven marathons, in seven days, on seven continents in 2003. |
| So how has Izzard, a 47-year-old with no previous aspiration to emulate Paula Radcliffe, made it through so many since his first marathon in July? | So how has Izzard, a 47-year-old with no previous aspiration to emulate Paula Radcliffe, made it through so many since his first marathon in July? |
| And if he can run 43 marathons in a row, can it really be that difficult? | And if he can run 43 marathons in a row, can it really be that difficult? |
| Absent toenails | Absent toenails |
| The secret does not lie in strict training. Where athletes devote a life to running and amateurs clear the diary for months before a race, Izzard admits to only five weeks of prep. | The secret does not lie in strict training. Where athletes devote a life to running and amateurs clear the diary for months before a race, Izzard admits to only five weeks of prep. |
| Indeed, during the course of his schedule he has demonstrated what sports scientists call a "training effect" - he has sped up instead of slowing down, from about 10 hours to just shy of five. | Indeed, during the course of his schedule he has demonstrated what sports scientists call a "training effect" - he has sped up instead of slowing down, from about 10 hours to just shy of five. |
| It's a positive, if unexpected, benefit of all the running. | It's a positive, if unexpected, benefit of all the running. |
| Some nay-sayers wonder whether a 10-hour marathon really counts, arguing that it is little more than a lengthy sponsored walk. | Some nay-sayers wonder whether a 10-hour marathon really counts, arguing that it is little more than a lengthy sponsored walk. |
| And Izzard himself admits people no longer believe how many races he has run. "I might as well say I've just eaten a car." | And Izzard himself admits people no longer believe how many races he has run. "I might as well say I've just eaten a car." |
| But run them he has, despite the painful physical cost of the friction, the impact on his body, and the mental struggle to get up every day and run. | But run them he has, despite the painful physical cost of the friction, the impact on his body, and the mental struggle to get up every day and run. |
| Before each race, his feet are bandaged. He has lost toenails, and one ankle ligament is seriously sore. | Before each race, his feet are bandaged. He has lost toenails, and one ankle ligament is seriously sore. |
| "My feet blistered up terribly, then started healing when I shoved them in surgical spirit," says Izzard. "Then they reblistered because you've got new skin coming through. | "My feet blistered up terribly, then started healing when I shoved them in surgical spirit," says Izzard. "Then they reblistered because you've got new skin coming through. |
| "Blisters upon blisters are not very nice. It's the pain. Like the pain from mouth ulcers, it's not a massive area but sharp and quite agonising." | "Blisters upon blisters are not very nice. It's the pain. Like the pain from mouth ulcers, it's not a massive area but sharp and quite agonising." |
| Daily ice baths are a necessary evil, he says, "to stop your legs inflating to twice the size of an elephant". | Daily ice baths are a necessary evil, he says, "to stop your legs inflating to twice the size of an elephant". |
| Body eats itself | Body eats itself |
| And internally there is more, albeit temporary damage, says sports scientist Professor John Brewer, of the University of Bedfordshire. | And internally there is more, albeit temporary damage, says sports scientist Professor John Brewer, of the University of Bedfordshire. |
| Izzard has blisters on top of blisters | Izzard has blisters on top of blisters |
| With each run sapping about 3,000 calories, Izzard's body will be eating its own fat stores to keep going. | With each run sapping about 3,000 calories, Izzard's body will be eating its own fat stores to keep going. |
| The force of four to five times his weight slamming through each foot, with every step he takes, takes its toll on muscles, tendons, ligaments. | The force of four to five times his weight slamming through each foot, with every step he takes, takes its toll on muscles, tendons, ligaments. |
| Haemoglobin - the blood protein which carries oxygen around the body - will be broken down by the power of his own frame repeatedly crushing it in his feet. | Haemoglobin - the blood protein which carries oxygen around the body - will be broken down by the power of his own frame repeatedly crushing it in his feet. |
| So is completing these punishing runs miraculous? | So is completing these punishing runs miraculous? |
| It seems not. | It seems not. |
| "He should be commended for showing that anyone can unlock that running potential," says Prof Brewer. | "He should be commended for showing that anyone can unlock that running potential," says Prof Brewer. |
| "Our bodies are designed to run because that's genetically how we developed - to catch food and avoid being someone else's food. We have enough body fat to sustain about 40 marathons." | "Our bodies are designed to run because that's genetically how we developed - to catch food and avoid being someone else's food. We have enough body fat to sustain about 40 marathons." |
| I would definitely put him closer to the Kenyans than to the man in the diver's suit Andy Dixon, Runner's World | I would definitely put him closer to the Kenyans than to the man in the diver's suit Andy Dixon, Runner's World |
| Although it's better to build up slowly, Izzard will benefit from reshaped muscles, more efficient organs, and boosted blood vessels. | Although it's better to build up slowly, Izzard will benefit from reshaped muscles, more efficient organs, and boosted blood vessels. |
| And expert commentators are impressed by his endurance. | And expert commentators are impressed by his endurance. |
| "In terms of the sliding scale of marathon runners, I would definitely put him closer to the Kenyans than to the man in the diver's suit," says Andy Dixon, editor of the racer's bible Runner's World. | "In terms of the sliding scale of marathon runners, I would definitely put him closer to the Kenyans than to the man in the diver's suit," says Andy Dixon, editor of the racer's bible Runner's World. |
| "Covering 26 miles in a day at whatever speed for 43 runs, it's demanding. | "Covering 26 miles in a day at whatever speed for 43 runs, it's demanding. |
| "A five-hour marathon is a fairly decent pace. It's a massive achievement. The big difference is raising yourself to do it again and again and again - physically and mentally. I can only imagine the suffering he's going through." | "A five-hour marathon is a fairly decent pace. It's a massive achievement. The big difference is raising yourself to do it again and again and again - physically and mentally. I can only imagine the suffering he's going through." |
| The relentless runners in life, the real Forrest Gumps, do exist. Take American He-man Dean Karnazes, a brawny type who brands himself Ultramarathon Man. | The relentless runners in life, the real Forrest Gumps, do exist. Take American He-man Dean Karnazes, a brawny type who brands himself Ultramarathon Man. |
| For him, 50 marathons across 50 US states in 50 consecutive days, only to run back to the start, is a mere jog. | For him, 50 marathons across 50 US states in 50 consecutive days, only to run back to the start, is a mere jog. |
| Perhaps the real surprise is that the British equivalent is a once well-upholstered comedian, and sometime wearer of heels. | Perhaps the real surprise is that the British equivalent is a once well-upholstered comedian, and sometime wearer of heels. |