Rory Coleman has pledged to win 28 miles a day for 28 days.
A Guinness world record holder stopped by Croydon on Saturday as part of his Stoptober pledge to run 28 miles a day for 28 days.
In the lead up to Stoptober, the all-day event saw Rory Coleman delighting North End shoppers, appearing with a giant metaphorical hurdle in the form of an inflatable ‘STOP’ sign.
The national anti-smoking campaign is inspired by findings that smokers who abstain from smoking for 28 days are five times more likely to kick the habit for good.
Mr Coleman, 51, is an ex 40-a-day smoker who ran his 791st marathon on Saturday since deciding to turn his life around 20 years ago.
He shared his inspiring story with passersby, urging others to follow suit.
“I was overweight and used alcohol to prop up my life rather than tackle my problems face on,” he said.
“I got tired of feeling ill, and actually got tired of smoking. On 5 January 1994, I decided to turn my life around.”
The month-long campaign runs from October 1 and received £3.5million in funding from Public Health England this year.
Its debut in 2012 saw 160,000 people quit the habit, and offers support through a free stop-smoking pack, mobile phone app, weekly meetings, and a text service.
Mr Coleman added: ‘I felt like I was alone at the time.
‘It’s easier for the people taking part in Stoptober, you can benefit having all those people supporting you.’
Alongside the campaign, Solutions4Health, are a specialist smoking service, offering free carbon monoxide breath tests and anti-smoking treatment all year round in Croydon town centre.
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