‘Adventureman’ in hospital after running world-record 524 miles on treadmill in one week

Jamie McDonald raised £55,000 for charity supporting children’s hospitals after spending ‘many years’ of childhood as patient

Jamie McDonald set a new world record by running 524.4 miles on a treadmill in a week (PA)

A man who ran a world record-breaking distance on a treadmill this week is in hospital after his body “shut down”.

Jamie McDonald, also known as "Adventureman", ran 524.4 miles in seven days, breaking the previous record by seven miles on Monday.

During the challenge he slept for less than 17 hours, and the ordeal took its toll on his body.

Mr McDonald, 32, said from his bed at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: “Every part of me is in pain, literally from head to toe.”

A post on his Facebook page added: “After a doctor’s home visit to conduct a health check, Jamie’s red blood cell count was found to be half what it was prior to the record.

“As well as this, his muscle enzyme (CK serum) levels are elevated, and more than 3x what they should be.

“Under advice from the doctor, who said he was ‘disturbed’ about the blood results and worried about what he’s just put his body through, Jamie was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital last night, where he’s being monitored and undergoing a few tests, including a CT scan, to ensure he’s recovering as well as he possibly can be.

“Thank you for all of the messages asking after him, and we will update when he’s ready to leave – we keep telling him that it’s OK to be taking it easy given he’s just done something literally no other human being in history ever has (!) – but he’s keen to be back on his feet soon.”

Another social media post on Saturday clarified that Mr McDonald “should be allowed to leave hospital today", adding that he felt he had been a burden on staff.

He has so far raised £55,000 for the Superhero Foundation, a charity supporting sick children’s families and hospitals.

“As one nurse said, he’s spent years trying to thank and support hospitals, they don’t mind it being their turn again for a few days,” according to the Facebook post.

After spending “many years” of his childhood in hospital with a rare spinal condition that meant he sometimes could not use his legs, Mr McDonald aims to raise $1m (£770,000) in total for the foundation.

In pursuit of that sum, Mr McDonald last month ran 5,500 miles across America – the equivalent of 210 marathons.

Additional reporting by SWNS