Pokemon Go: Trainer who became first in UK to catch 'em all lost two stone while doing so

Sam Clark says that he has received huge amounts of abuse since his achievement – but support too

The man who became the first in the UK to catch all of the country’s Pokemon also lost something.

The walking involved in catching the animals – the equivalent of five marathons – led father-of-four Sam Clark to lose two stone in the couple of weeks that he played the game.

The 32-year-old says that as far as he knows he is the first to catch all of the 143 Pokemon that are available in the UK. That leaves out the two Pokemon that are exclusive to the Americas and Asia, and also the mystery creatures that don’t appear to have been added to the game yet.

The electrical engineer said that he had been walking around for almost “every waking hour” hunting down Pokemon around his home town of Southampton.

"It's been a long, old slog, I walked about five marathons, 225km, to do this,” said Mr Clark. “I have lost two stone, I can put on jeans that I haven't worn for six years, the last time I tried I couldn't get them over my legs.

"I am not obsessive, I have a full-time job, I have a wife and four kids, it's just fun. I didn't do it for the kudos, I reached 100 and thought I would carry on to see if I could get all of them and I put up the video to see if I was the first in the country and it appears I am because no-one else has come forward."

Mr Clark said that he has become famous since achieving the feat, which he documented in a YouTube video that included tips for how he had managed to catch them all. Many had insulted him – but others asked for selfies alongside him after achieving the milestone.

He said: "I have been called some really nasty names, the internet has been its normal golden tap of love, people have been calling me a virgin, that I've never seen a woman in my life, but my wife and kids will disagree with that.

"It's been all old people, but I have lost two stone getting outside with this game, probably two stone that I have put on sitting inside playing other games.

"Pokemon Go has been so popular, it is a really social game, we had 200 people come along to a meet-up. I was in the park earlier and I was mobbed by people, I had like a fan group and I had one girl asking to take a selfie with me.

"I also got a message from a woman who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after seeing a road accident and she said the game had enabled her to get outside and I and my friends suffer from anxiety and it helps us get outside."

Mr Clark dismissed worries that the game puts its players in danger.

He said: "The game warns players to be aware of their surroundings and I bet more children have been injured by cricket balls hitting them on the head this summer."