When we spoke to Luke Bellingham (BA Journalism, 2024) in August, he was about to embark on a challenge nobody else had done before: run from Nordkapp in Norway down to London, UK, with the aim of raising money for charity. On Sunday, 26 October 2025, he crossed the finish line after running 3,600km in 71 days. So how did it all go?
Luke Bellingham (BA Journalism, 2024) started running while studying at City St George’s, and became a big fan of ultra runners like Russ Cook and Nedd Brockmann. Inspired by their record-breaking runs, he was determined to complete a challenge of his own. With the aim of doing something that hadn’t been done before and raising money for the charity Kids’ Village, he decided to run from Nordkapp, at the very top of Norway, all the way down to London, UK. He set out on Sunday, 17 August, and ran through parts of Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England.
Those who followed Luke’s run on social media got glimpses of torrential rain, challenging hills, beautiful scenery, battered feet, and the occasional reindeer. Luke also provided a motivational song of the day, which is now available as a Norway to London playlist. On Sunday 24 October, Luke crossed the finish line at Trafalgar Square in London and was met by family and supporters. Obviously, we wanted to follow up on our story with Luke in August and see how things had gone.
Congratulations, Luke! What an amazing achievement. How are you feeling right now?
“Right now, 3 days after finishing, not too bad! I am definitely sleeping a lot, I think I slept for 12 hours last night! I’m also eating lots to try and get as many calories as I can back after burning 5,000 daily. The only problem I’m having is my knees; they feel like they’re aching quite a bit, and stairs are a bit of a challenge! This is nothing that I’m too concerned about, and it could’ve been a lot worse! It just gives me an excuse to put my feet up and not do anything.”
Overall, how did you feel like it went?
“There were definitely issues, which came up as the adventure progressed and it meant that it didn’t go exactly to plan, like having no days off, etc. In the moment, this made me feel annoyed and slightly angry but then I began to realise that as long as I complete what I started, that’s all that really matters. As soon as I finished, everything that didn’t go to plan became meaningless as I still finished!
I am also happy that I didn’t get any significant injuries throughout, although I did have issues crop up, like with my feet and hamstrings, but everything healed pretty quickly, so I’m happy with how my body held up.”
What surprised you the most about the experience?
“There were lots of different things that surprised me. Just to give a few examples: how people manage to live and thrive right at the top of Norway. I moaned about the weather daily, but I didn’t spend too much time there, those who live there are really made of steel!
I guess this is a typically English thing to say, but it was also surprising how many people could so easily speak English. I could be in the middle of rural Sweden and be able to chat about what I was doing and how lovely the nation was. My ability to speak Swedish? I can’t say I really know too much …”
What were some of the biggest challenges?
“The biggest challenge was definitely the start in Norway, how different it was to every other country I went through. The terrain was intense, and the weather was so unpredictable as well, which meant drying clothes was a bit of a challenge! Another challenge that became more apparent towards the end of the mission was maintaining calorie intake. More than a few times, I ran 70km a day, and trying to eat enough calories became extremely difficult. Feeling hungry became the norm.”
What are you most proud of?
“Before I set off, it was hard to put into perspective how long 71 days would actually be, so to be able to say I ran on average over 50km per day is something I’m proud of. It is also now slightly weird to look at a world map, see the distance between Norway and London and think I’ve run all of that.”
What are your plans now?
“That’s a difficult question to answer. At the moment, I am just trying to focus on recovering; it’s hard to think too far ahead. Although I’ve got a few ideas of different things I want to try to complete next year, nothing on the scale of this! I had also been planning this run for over a year, so it kind of feels like I have been living in the future for a year, if that makes sense? So, I’m going to try and live a little more in the moment and not think too far ahead, even if it’s easier said than done!”
What are some of the things you saw, big or small, that have stayed with you?
“The views are something I will remember for a long time. The lakes throughout Sweden were amazing, and I would often stop and admire the views. The wildlife was great but could also often be a little scary. The moose were great to see – but only from a distance!
The opposite of the moose would be all the wild rabbits and red squirrels, whether that was on campsites or even just at the side of the road. I think what also makes seeing these animals so special is that they moved too quickly to even get a photo of them, so I’ve only got the memories.“
What would your advice be to someone who wanted to set out on a similar challenge?
“I’ve definitely learned a lot through doing this. Nothing prepares you for the weather, so I would recommend doing something like this somewhere warmer! I think you definitely need to research the route in more detail than you think you do. I thought I had checked and double-checked, but it would’ve saved a lot of additional hassle. But having said this, I guess it wouldn’t have made the adventure as exciting and memorable if everything went to plan, so expect the unexpected, but also try to enjoy whatever gets thrown at you because you’ve put yourself in a unique position, which strangely is a privileged place to be.”
If you did a similar challenge again, what would you do differently?
“Having done a challenge now where there was no major time limit, I would next time like to take on a challenge where I have a tighter deadline to make it more challenging. Also, because I’ve done one challenge now, I would like to try and get more footage so it could be posted more across social media or maybe even a documentary type of deal, but who knows what happens next!”
How many kilometres did you end up running in the end?
“So, in the end, I ended up running a total of 3,600km, which is roughly 2,300 miles. It’s slightly less than expected, so I must’ve saved some distance somewhere! With the two rest days I had to take, it meant [on average] that I ran 51km per day.”
A huge congratulations to Luke Bellingham for completing his challenge and for supporting a charity in his local area!
If you would like to learn more about Luke’s Nordkapp to London run, you can find his social media accounts and donation page here:
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
Strava
GiveStar Charity Donation
A short video of Luke completing the challenge at Trafalgar Square, London, and celebrating the achievement: