A full-time maths teacher has raised an incredible £1 million for charity – after embarking on a series of remarkable feats of endurance.
During school hours, Sam Boatwright can be found in the classroom helping pupils progress with their studies – but after hours, he has committed himself to athlete-levels of training.
The 42-year-old trains three times a day and has been dubbed the ‘epic runner’ after his first challenge, where he ran 50 miles every day for 50 days to raise money for Help The Heroes.
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Since then, he has gone on the complete multiple other challenges – all in the name of fundraising.
Sam, who is also a personal trainer, says the challenges demand a dedicated schedule – and it’s not for the fainthearted.
“Being truthful, I don’t sleep very much,” the Yorkshire native told What’s The Jam.
“I enjoy being busy, whether it’s training, teaching or running a business.
“I’ll typically train three times a day, between my work and personal commitments.
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“On an average day, I wake up around 4:30am and get to the gym at 5am and do a PT session with a client before heading to a spin class at 6am or completing a run.
“I drive to work for 7:30am and teach until lunch.
“On my lunch break, I swim approximately 1.5km and teach again until 3:20pm.
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“I then have another PT session with a client at 4pm, complete another spin class, train weights and then have PT sessions with clients until 9pm.
“I love to train and to know that I’m the only one up at 4am on a cold December morning running in the snow gives me a huge sense of accomplishment.
“I also like to think that my pupils have taken some inspiration from my challenges.
“A previous group of students nominated me for awards such as Pride of Britain.
Balancing training, business and family life is always hard but I really enjoy being busy.
“My days are long as I wake up very early and often work late, but I have goals and ambitions that I want to hit.”
His challenges began when he turned 30 in 2012, and embarked on the 50 miles-a-day running challenge, which saw him race across England, Scotland and Wales, and which raised more than £16,000.
Some highlights include travelling to America in 2017 and cycling 3,000 miles coast to coast in 32 days, raising a further £14,000.
Two years later, Sam embarked on his ‘epic triathlon’ challenge in 2019, where he cycled from Land’s End in Cornwall to John o’Groats in Scotland.
In total, he estimates he has raised over £1 million for charities along the way.
He’s now planning his next adventure, which will see him run across Australia and New Zealand.
He said: “There isn’t one challenge that stands out as being the hardest – all of the challenges have been difficult in different ways.
“I broke my shoulder about four months before I was due to swim the channel which made training extremely tough.
“The first run in 2012 hurt with a burning pain that no words can even begin to describe.
“The biggest inspiration for me was watching the men and women who had served our country come home from Afghanistan and not be able to do the things that they had always done.
“I run for those that can’t.
“The journey across America was relentless and a kind of tortuous boredom, with long straight roads mile after mile and never-ending corn fields in 85% humidity.
“Working out the logistics of a challenge is always time-consuming and I often rely on the support of friends and family to help make the challenges run smoothly.
“Finance has always been an issue too – I don’t have sponsorship to support me and I have to work around my job as a teacher, which means planning challenges for weekends or during the school holidays.”
According to the fitness buff, it all comes down to dedication, mindset, and nutrition.
He co-founded a protein supplements brand, Brown Bag Protein, alongside his brother Matt, which he uses to fuel his challenges.
Sam said: “I’ve taken supplements for the past 20 years, from protein, to creatine to amino acids.
“I have to ensure I get the required nutrition to enable me to recover fast enough to go again the next day.
“During my training and the challenges, I need to consume around 7,000 calories a day and protein shakes are a great and convenient nutrition supplement.
“However, most products on the market contain additives that I didn’t feel comfortable consuming on such a regular basis.”
As endurance challenges see a rise in popularity, with reality stars like Spencer Matthews also taking part, Sam has shared advice for budding athletes who are daunted by the feats.
He said: “For me, it’s never been about how I complete the challenge – I always focus on why I’m doing it.
“I always feel that I need something to drive me, such as a goal, finish line or a target – that’s what helps to keep me moving.
“It’s also why I always use the challenge as an opportunity to raise money for charity.
“I want to be able to give back.
“You need to think about why you’re doing it as this is something you can take with you and focus on during the hardest parts of your challenge.”
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