Musician Charles aiming to be King of the mountains with charity ‘Feel Good Jog’

Alt-rocker King Charles – real name Charles Costa – is preparing to run 40 marathons in 40 days as he jogs from John O’Groats to Land’s End in aid of charity.

And not satisfied with that, he plans to perform along the way.

Each day will see Charles perform in a unique setting, which will be improvised on a daily basis.

It could be on the side of a mountain, next to a lake, or in a local pub, including at the end of his marathon leg through the Peak District from Charlesworth, near Glossop, to Rocester.

He says: “I love to see a place from the perspective of running through as much as possible.

“I love seeing a place on my feet and I love going for a point in a distance and not turning back to come home, just keeping going – that’s how I want to see the whole country, just heading off and keeping going.

“It’s been a target for a while, to do something like this.”

It is this desire to explore the country which will see King Charles take a scenic, hilly route through Scotland, Wales and England, including via Ben Nevis, through the Pennine Way and the Peak District and touching the Brecon Beacons.

“I’m so excited about this challenge,” he says. “I’ve wanted to take this on for some time, because I believe in running. I love the rhythm of feet hitting the road and the effect that has on the mind.

“Running has always helped me find an escape when I’ve felt trapped and isolated. And all you need is a pair of shoes and a running buddy to get you moving.”

King Charles, who became the first British person to win the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville, Tennessee, for his song Love Lust, back in 2009, is raising money for Regenerate with The Feel Good Jog – donate at justgiving.com/campaign/TheFeelGoodJog – to support the mental health and wellbeing of vulnerable young people and create opportunities for them to thrive.

‘Lives being changed’

King Charles and his team are are aiming to raise £100,000 “to support hundreds of young people, who are living in challenging situations, as they emerge through the pandemic”.

He says: “The work of Regenerate is so real and the stories I’ve heard of lives being changed are beautiful.

“What they do is particularly important now, as the last 18 months of lockdown and isolation have been a feeding ground for anxiety, loneliness and depression.”

And at the end of every day’s marathon will be a “performance” – he is keen to stress it will not be a gig as not every location has been sorted, while he does not know what state he will be in

"We’re keeping it quite loose,” he says. “It will be a performance, we’re trying to finalise ideas and locations.

“Some will be fields, some will be in the wild in the open. It will be a mix.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to keep going. Energy levels are the thing that’s going to affect it. It might be down to singing one cover in the evening.”

And King Charles will not have much time to rest and recover when his marathon challenge ends.

“I’ve got an EP coming out soon after I finish the run, which is very exciting,” he says.

“I am hoping to take a week off after the run, I might have to have my legs put back together.

“Then I have got a tour coming up at the end of October – I am massively excited because it’s 18 months I’ve been waiting.”

The tour includes a thrice rescheduled show at Nottingham’s The Glee Club, now on Monday, November 1. For tickets, see booking.glee.co.uk/17065

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