A man from Swindon has run more than 1,000 miles as part of a year-long fundraising challenge in memory of his dad.

Surjit Singh decided to run 200 half marathons in 2024 to raise funds for the Stroke Association, after his dad died following a stroke in 2011.

He started the challenge on January 1, but while many people gave up their new year's resolutions, Surjit has dedicated his time on weekends and before work to complete 118 half marathons so far, as well as running the London Marathon back in April.

Surjit said: “My father had a stroke and he was in a coma for three to four months. It was the most difficult time we’ve had in our lives. 

“I started running for health reasons, but now I like running. The challenge keeps you motivated, as well as seeing yourself reaching those targets. If you don’t set targets, you lose the motivation. Running for the Stroke Association is really motivating.

"It’s going well. When I started back in January it was challenging but it has gotten easier. I keep to a routine and there are some local runs I do. I’m planning to finish the challenge around October or November, even though it was supposed to be 12 months, because by six months I was already over halfway.

“I run around four to five times a week, sometimes six times a week, and usually around 13 miles. I get up at 4:30 to run before work, so I usually run between 5am and 7am, and organise it around the school run. I work at a bank too, so I’m quite busy.

"I have a few different routes that I run, because if you stick to one route it’s very boring, so I have around five or six. Usually I start from Regent Circus towards Coate Water, or I run around West Swindon."

Surjit keeps a record of his achievements which can be found on his Just Giving page, showing he has ran an impressive 1,461 miles this year and 96 miles already this month.

On one of his recent runs at the end of June, he ran 15-mile route from the town centre up to Abbey Meads, then down through Liden and back to the town centre.

He added: “I’d like to raise £1,000 but I’ve raised £370 so far. If any runners in Swindon would like to join me then they can.”