They say that once you retire it's important to find hobbies that will keep you busy, challenge you both mentally and physically and ones that will keep you involved in your community. Now, marathon running may not be the popular choice but it certainly ticks all of those boxes and then some...

When Harry Botha joined his local running club at 66, having retired to the coast and eager to get involved in the pass times of his new community, little did he know that he was taking the first tentative steps in a journey that would take him around the world.

At age 82, Harry has run 19 marathon in total, one on every continent of the globe and holds some of the rarest and most coveted accolades in running circles world wide including:

• The Abbotts World Marathon Majors 6 Star Medal + the 5 Star certificate (which he was awarded before Abbotts' involvement or the addition of the Tokyo Marathon).
• The Marathon Grand Slam Club Membership - awarded to participants who have completed a marathon on every continent.
• He has run a marathon in every extreme known to man including: both the North and South Poles, at the top of Mt. Everest Base Camp, along The Great Wall of China, The Great Barrier Reef and earlier this year, he realised his life's dream by competing in the Marathon des Sables (a 250km multi-stage race through the Moroccan desert) and it all started with Berlin Marathon at age 67.

Listening to this episode is an journey through time as Harry regales us with tales of the wanderlust that has filled his life, form his first trip to England from the humble origins of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) before travel was a convenient as a 4 hour layover in Dubai, to the detail of his epic running adventures around the world, the people he's met along the way and the inspiration that keeps him waking up, lacing up and dreaming up his next goal.

Listen & be inspired!