Ben Thackwray

Age: 27
Location: Leeds
Employer: Halifax

Ben is an ultra distance runner, mountaineer, adventurer, born and raised in Leeds. In 2002 he climbed Kilimanjaro in 2 days without acclimatization.

In 2006 he ran the 150 mile Marathon des Sables (the toughest footrace on earth) in the Sahara Desert, finishing in the top 10 Brits.

That year he also ran a 100 miles non-stop up and over the Pennines in the inaugural Pennine Challenge, where he finished 3rd.

This year he ran 50 miles along the Thames in less than 8 hours, finishing in the top 10, in an international field of ultra distance athletes.

He has just returned from Alaska, having climbed Denali (Mt. McKinley), the highest mountain in North America. He was part of a team that became the only team this year; the 1st in 4 years and only the 3rd in 10 years, to successfully summit and traverse the mountain.