Megan Boxall Finishes 5,420-Mile Run Around Britain Coastline

Megan Boxall will complete a 5,420-mile run along Britain's coastline on Saturday, breaking the record for the fastest woman to run around England, Wales and Scotland. The 33-year-old from Suffolk set off from Sizewell beach in Suffolk on October 18. She will finish at the same beach before joining the local parkrun that launched her journey 204 days earlier.

GB News reported that her run was 97 days faster than the previous record set by Elise Downing in 2016. Boxall ran the equivalent of 200 marathons during the effort. A typical day saw her wake at 6am, eat as much as possible and begin running at 8am.

She aimed to cover more than a half marathon before lunch, followed by a second 13-mile stint with a target finish around 3pm. The financial journalist was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2024. Before her diagnosis she experienced two flare-ups, one in which she lost vision in one eye and another where she lost feeling in her hands and feet.

She made five calls to Samaritans after receiving the diagnosis. Boxall said the charity helped sustain her. "When I was at my lowest, the Samaritans helped me keep going," she said. "There were times when the pain in my mind was so intense I couldn't pick myself up off the floor.

Their volunteers were there for me when I needed someone most. " She raised more than £50,000 for Samaritans during the run. Her dog Shadow joined her for parts of the journey. Boxall, who has competed in IronMan events, was supported by the kindness of strangers, friends and Samaritans supporters.

She admitted there had been "a lot of low moments" when she questioned why she was doing this. Coming back to her reason — raising awareness for Samaritans — and reading messages of support kept her going. Boxall is following in the footsteps of her late uncle Tom Isaacs, who walked the coastline after his Parkinson's diagnosis.

"The most uplifting part of this journey has been the kindness and generosity of people," she said. "I’ve been truly blown away. People have given their time, shared their stories, many of them incredibly inspiring, and gone out of their way to help.

After finishing, Boxall plans to celebrate with friends and family at a local pub. She hopes later this year to break the record for the fastest marathon run by a woman with MS.