Tyrone man completes second driveway marathon to raise money for frontline staff

Personal trainer Keith Clarke ran a marathon while pushing a wheelie bin to raise money for the NHS.

A Co. Tyrone man has run a marathon in his driveway while pushing a wheelie bin to raise money for the health service in the North.

Keith Clarke from Dungannon completed a similar feat on Monday when he raised almost £2,000 running a marathon in his backyard with a wheelbarrow – a feat that took 416 laps and five and a half hours to complete.

Keith Clarke after completing his original fundraising feat (Cate McCurry/PA)

Keith told the PA news agency: “I completed a marathon in my backyard with a wheelbarrow, so I had to kick it up a gear and use whatever I could see, so this time I used a wheelie bin.”

“I found it tough going at times because it was much hotter and sunny today but we are all stuck in our homes for the foreseeable, so I thought I might as well have a bit of craic while also raising money for our healthcare workers.”

Keith estimates he has raised almost £5,000 from his marathon challenges which he has posted on Facebook.

This time Mr Clarke dragged a wheelie bin to raise money for the NHS (Keith Clarke PA)

“These are tough and uncertain times for people so I’m glad I could lift people’s spirits and raise money for the NHS.”

The number of people with coronavirus who have died in a hospital setting in Northern Ireland has risen to 107, with 15 further deaths reported today.

There were 128 new cases of the virus, bringing the total of confirmed positive tests in the region since the outbreak began to 1,717.