AFTER running an entire marathon in his living room – Bolton Wanderers media man Paul Holliday is looking for ways to make his next lockdown challenge even tougher.

More than 4,000 people tuned in to a live Twitter feed to see Paul jog from one end of his house to the other, covering 26.2 miles in an impressive four hours 38 minutes.

Famous Bolton faces such as Amir Khan, Dave Spikey and Kevin Davies sent messages of support to the father-of-two, who took on the crazy stunt to raise money for the High Five charity, which helps provide activities for disable children and their families in the Lancashire area.

Speaking to The Bolton News on the finishing line – which also doubled up as his sofa – Paul said he was amazed by how well the race had gone.

“After the first couple of laps I was thinking to myself ‘what the hell am I doing?’ But once I got into the rhythm of it, there were no problems at all,” he said. “Normally when you get to mile 20 you think you’ve cracked it but then reality sets in and the last six miles are a nightmare.

“I didn’t hit a wall. I knew I could handle the distance but I thought I’d have more problems with the twisting and turning. All I got was a bit of a stiff shoulder from pushing off the wall on each lap.

“I think I’ll do another one by the end of the month and then, if time allows, a second, but I might have to get a bit more creative.

“The biggest disappointment is that my living room carpet has come through it unscathed. I might have to run another one quickly so we can get rid of it.”

After setting an initial target of £400, support has flooded in for the charity and the total raised by the end of the race was nudging £2,000.

“I am absolutely bowled over by the generosity of people,” Paul said. “Friends, family, people I have never even met – they have been absolutely amazing.

“The players and staff at Bolton Wanderers have been so supportive as well, and I thank everyone not just from me but from the charity and the families who will benefit.

“Obviously right now we are all sitting tight but once it is all over it will be wonderful to have a big event to get families out and enjoying themselves after what has been a really tough time.”

Paul even overcame technical difficulties at the start of his run, when 20 minutes in his camera fell off the table and momentarily gave viewers a distorted vantage point.

“It was weird because I had to get the phone but I didn’t feel like I could stop,” he said. “I think we got away with it. I just felt like if I stopped I’d never get started again.”

Donations to High Five can be made at paulholliday.co.uk.