I ran marathons on seven continents in a week in memory of my brother

A runner has completed seven marathons on seven continents in seven days in memory of his teenage brother.

Bobby White took on the gruelling challenge, running the 26.2 (42.2km) mile races with an average time of 5:09:58.

His younger brother Anton was 15 when he died in 2004 and since then his family has raised more than £100,000 for the Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity.

The father-of-two, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, self-funded the $49,500 USD (£36,749) World Marathon Challenge.

Launched in 2015 it started with remote run at Ultima Base, Antarctica on 31 January.

It was followed by marathons in Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; and Dubai, UAE.

Competitors then traveled to Madrid, Spain for the European leg and from there onto Fortaleza, Brazil.

The epic challenge - which has been completed by less than 250 people - concluded in Miami, US on 6 February.

But Bobby, 45, revealed his fundraising quest almost ended in Antarctica, during the early stages of the marathon he was most looking forward to.

He said: "My calves blew up 5 to 6km in and caused me a whole lot of problems to the point I thought I was going to DNF [Did Not Finish] and probably not start the second.

"I kind of went into a deep, dark place.

"I cried. I had put so much into this."

Bobby thought of all the publicity he had generated ahead of the challenge and feared letting people down.

The property investor added: "And then I met big Serge. What a guy!

"He saw me on the start line in Cape Town and I had been crying on the way down.

"There was 500m to walk and he just said 'I can see you are in pain. You are going to need to find the strength to do this.'"

Bobby said Serge had a similar motivation for taking part and was running in memory of his late son.

The pep talk focused his mind and inspired him to battle through the pain barrier for the remaining six races.

Bobby said highlights along the way included crossing the line with relatives in Australia and completing the marathon in Madrid, his favourite course of the week.

He ran 183 miles (295 km) over the seven-day period and spent about 68 hours in the air.

The 2026 edition was completed by 51 participants who had to contend with temperatures ranging from -10C (14F) to 30C (86F).

Bobby was in his early 20s when he lost brother Anton to an undiagnosed heart condition.

The runner said: "He was 15 years old and just getting to the good part of his life.

"He was the best wee brother ever.

"Grief still lasts to this day. It's hard."

As the family came to terms with their devastating loss they were supported by the then Yorkhill Children's Charity, now the Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity.

Bobby said: "I wanted to repay the charity and we have been fundraising ever since."

He had completed marathons before but felt he would need to step things up for his latest challenge.

Bobby said: "This time I really wanted to commit fully to something big."

"One marathon was not going to be enough for me personally.

"It is totally enough for anybody else and it is a big achievement.

"I just knew I had more in me."

The runner has so far raised more than £32,000 through his JustGiving page.

Bobby added: "I've seen first hand the difference this is going to make and I'm so proud to be able to have done this."

Kirsten Watson, chief executive of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, said she was grateful for the continued support.

She added: "Completing the World Marathon Challenge is a monumental achievement, and we had no doubt that Bobby would have the strength and heart to make it to the finish line.

"The funds the White family have generously raised in memory of Anton for the charity over the years have made a life-changing difference to children in hospital."