By FireRescue1 Staff
NEW YORK — An English firefighter has chosen to run not one, but 20 marathons in memory of his late wife — all by the end of this year.
Firefighter Steve Holder, 44, has completed 16 marathons this year and plans to run his 17th this Sunday in New York. Since the death of his wife, Sharon, who died from breast cancer, Holder wants to run 20 marathons and raise funds for charities.
Each marathon represents one year of marriage, Holder told the New York Post.
“I really didn’t want this to be about me. It’s just a tribute to my wife,” Holder said. “It really comforts me that she’s being remembered.”
Holder has raised over $7,300 in funds, which he will donate to three separate charities, all of which he closely worked with during Sharon’s cancer treatment and after her death.
Last weekend, Holder ran the Marine Corps Marathon in three hours and 39 minutes. He aims to run the New York Marathon in under four hours.
“I’m starting to get tired. I’ll never do this many again,” Holder said.
Holder will run his final race Dec. 18, in his hometown of Portsmouth, England, where his wife was also born.