There will be a party at Milton Keynes on Bank Holiday Monday May 6th, 2024 and we are all invited. This is the day when Steve Edwards, AKA the 'Man Inside The Machine' will run his 1,000th marathon to set a new world record for running 1,000 marathons in the fastest-ever average time.

To mark this magnificent achievement the event team at MK Marathon Weekend is introducing a 'Team Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award'. This award will be presented annually and serve as a lasting legacy in recognition of the dedication and commitment shown by Steve and Teresa Edwards as Team Edwards over four decades.

While the MK Marathon, with its stunning stadium finish, will provide a fitting finale to an epic odyssey that started in Coventry aged 18 in 1981, this is not exactly where or how Steve's incredible 26,200-mile journey was supposed to have ended.

Although he has notched up 997 official marathon races in an average time of 3hrs 21min 40sec, making him one of the most successful multi-marathoners in the world, the initial plan was to have reached 1,000 marathons on Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 – the day of the Manchester Marathon and before his 60th birthday.

A combination of injuries, Covid restrictions (with many events cancelled), and the sad loss of his father in November 2023, knocked Steve's target off course but with the unwavering support of his wife Teresa and the desire to raise funds for Kate’s Home Nursing in North Gloucestershire by pushing his body to the absolute limit, he is on track to set his tenth world best with a Guinness World Record next month.

Among his many staggering milestones is recognition as the youngest person ever to have run 100 marathons and 200 marathons; the most official marathons run in 12 months (87); the fastest 10 marathons in 10 days (35hrs 20mins) and the fastest average times for 500 marathons (3:12:07), 600 marathons (3:13:46), 700 marathons (3:15:25), 800 marathons (3:17:03) and 900 marathons (3:19:01)! All of Steve's marathons have been under four hours, with no DNFs.

Race Director of MK Marathon Weekend, Andy Hully, said: “We are very excited to host the first Guinness World Record for completing 1000 marathons in under 4 hours in Milton Keynes, The City of Dreams. This is an incredible lifetime achievement for Steve Edwards, and our amazing stadium finish will provide an iconic setting for his finale.”

When asked about his motivation for choosing MK Marathon Weekend to achieve this lifelong dream. Edwards explained: “We’ve thought long and hard about the choice of venue to run my 1,000th marathon. It’s an event in which I’ve been an official pacer on seven occasions for finish times ranging from sub 3:15 to sub 3:45. The city which hosts this event is one in which I’ve run most of my marathons, a total of 115. What’s more, it has a stadium venue that not only has great facilities and entertainment for both runners and non-runners but also provides a perfect finish line in front of the main stand.”

runABC previously featured Steve Edwards' remarkable story in 2020 here and in 2022 here.

You can donate to Steve Edwards' charity Kate’s Home Nursing via JustGiving here.

Photo shows Steve in his 940th marathon at The Strive at Shuttleworth on 20th August 2023