St Helens runner sets European record

A man from St Helens has become the first European, and only the second person in the world with sight loss, to complete the Major Six Marathons.

Mark Rogerson completed the feat last week after he ran the Boston Marathon. Having travelled back home to Merseyside for a well-deserved rest, he spoke to Mersey News Live about the achievement.

“It was definitely doable, but as the journey started, we found that these races aren’t easy to get into, and you need a lot of luck. The fact that we got in made it more unreal,” Rogerson said.

Rogerson lost his sight in 2013 after discovering he had a detached retina and operations to prevent his other retina from detaching caused him to contract an infection. His remaining sight could not be saved.

He started running after being inspired by his family who ran the Chester Half-Marathon to raise money for the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB).

Rogerson steadily increased his mileage and ran the London Marathon in 2016.

He admitted that afterwards, he had caught the marathon bug: “I was still having bad days, but just going out for a run, you could escape everything, it felt like nothing else mattered.”

It was at his next marathon in Chicago in 2018 where he met his guide runner Katie, who would go on to accompany Mark on all his future marathons.

“I’ve had really quick guide runners, but Katie just got it and understood my pace instantly.”

After running the Chicago Marathon together, the pair next ran the Berlin Marathon, which was where they decided to go for the Major Six Marathons.

“At the end of it she (Katie) said: ‘Shall we just do them all now that we’ve started’ and I was like ‘yeah might as well’.” Mark said.

The journey has taken Mark and Katie to London, Chicago, Berlin, New York, Tokyo and Boston.

Out of the six marathons, Mark cherishes London the most: “When I was younger, I always used to say to my Mum ‘I’ll do that’ and she would say ‘you can’t do that’, and now I’ve done it.”

“It’s always got a special place in my heart because it’s a British tradition and it captures the whole of the country.” He added.

Throughout his running, Mark has raised over £25,000 for the RNIB, a cause that motivated him during challenging days.

Mark said: “Losing my sight was something that was a huge negative in my life, and I turned it into something so positive.”

Mark believes that people with sight loss or disabilities can still achieve anything they want: “You might have to do it a bit differently and make some adaptations, but you will be able to do it.”