Newmarket schoolboy shows he cares by clocking up 14 marathons

A 10-year-old Newmarket schoolboy with a passion for the environment has raised £1,000 to help protect endangered habitats around the world.

At the start of 2023 Solomon Brokenshire-Dyke, a pupil at All Saints primary school, decided that he would run 10km every week for the whole year to raise money for the charity World Land Trust which works to fund the creation of reserves and provide permanent worldwide protection for habitats and wildlife.

“Solomon is very aware of the problems the world is facing and feels a real responsibility to do something about it,” said his mother Lorna.

”He short-listed about a dozen charities and was very impressed by a video with David Attenborough on World Land Trust's home page so that was the one he chose.

Lorna and Solomon’s father James were concerned that he should break up each week’s mileage into three or four short runs rather than fewer long runs to protect his joints while he was still growing.

“He fulfilled the commitment he had made with just one week, when he was poorly and we didn’t allow him to run,” said Lorna.

“He ran in all weathers, snow, wind, rain and hot summer days including steep Greek hills while he was on his summer holiday.”

By the end of the year Solomon had clocked up 574 km, the equivalent of nearly 14 marathons, but realised he hadn’t quite hit his £1,000 fundraising target so he carried on through January and was set to complete his challenge after school yesterday.

“On this one occasion, we let him do his first 10k run which is how he chose to celebrate his achievement,” said Lorna.

Solomon lives in Boleyn Walk, Newmarket, with his parents and twin brother Seb who was born with cerebral palsy and is recovering following a major operation last year. “It’s been a tough nine months for him but he is very proud of his brother as are we all,” said Lorna.