Matt Pullen, Head of Grounds at The Leys, has completed 12 marathons in 12 days, making 2012 a year of 
extraordinary feats in aid of charity.
Matt (pictured right, fourth from the left, and below) and a team of three other recreational runners each ran a total distance of 314.4 miles as they made their way down the country from North Yorkshire to the finishing line on The Mall, London, on December 23.
A keen endurance runner for 20 years, Matt, a 37-year-old father of two completed a challenge for every month of 2012, including triathlons, morph suit running and even rollerblading.
The programme of sponsored feats was the brainchild of Sarah O'Neill, who ran with Matt and friends Kerry McCarthy and Meredith Bochmann. It has raised £138,000 for HOPEHIV, which supports children in Sub-Saharan Africa who have been orphaned or otherwise affected by HIV/AIDS.
When their marathon route reached Cambridge, the team of runners were sent off with the good wishes of the 
Mayor of Cambridge, Sheila Stuart, and friends from The Leys.
They left from the Botantic Garden, opposite The Leys, and were joined for part of that leg of the tour by Mike Egan, Head of Business Studies and Economics, and Alyson McPherson, Housemistress of Moulton House, both keen runners.
After the gruelling 12 days, Matt commented: "The physios were the real superstars. They kept us going. My wife, Alison, was also really helpful. It was good to get back home for Christmas and have lots of hugs from my children, who had missed me."