A PUB landlord who moved from St Helens to London is at the start of an incredible challenge that will see him take on four marathons and nine half-marathons in the space of eight months.
After getting back into long-distance running during the pandemic, but later feeling overweight and unhappy, Jonathan Mercer, from Ravenhead, set himself the target of running his first marathon last year.
Attempting to get into either one of the Paris, London, or New York marathons, the pub landlord was accepted into all three.
After a subsequent chat with his dad reminded Jonathan of the 'Pop Muzik' lyric that references the three cities - along with Munich - he decided to sign up for a fourth marathon in Germany and fit in a bunch of half-marathons to help with his training along the way.
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Jonathan, 36, said: "My dad used to drive me and my mates all over to play football for St Helens town when I was younger.
"One of the main things I remember from those journeys is a tape he had, with the first track Pop Muzik by M [that references New York, London, Paris, and Munich].
"During a conversation with my dad, it suddenly hit me that I’ve lived, worked or spent a lot of time in three of those locations [...] so that's how the idea for the Pop Muzik marathons began."
After moving from St Helens to New York to work in retail in 2009, Jonathan moved to London four years later and now runs the Plough & Prince Arthur pub in Hackney, and the London Tavern in Margate.
After training on the streets of the capital for his epic 223.7 mile challenge, he has already completed three out of his 13 races; finishing the Olympic Park half-marathon, the Victoria Park half-marathon, and the Paris marathon over the past month.
Following the "surreal" experience of completing his first official marathon in Paris, the pub landlord is currently back visiting his parents in St Helens and said how he misses the mentality and welcoming atmosphere of his hometown.
With his next challenge at the London marathon in two weeks time, Jonathan aims to raise a target of £10,000 to be split across six charities that are close to his heart; Women's Night Shelter, NYRR Team for Kids, Whizz Kids, Children's Hyperinsulinism Charity, National Kidney Federation, and CALM.
To support Jonathan's efforts, you can donate to his fundraiser here.
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