TV personality and endurance athlete Joshua Patterson has set a Guinness World record after running a marathon over a volcano in Bolivia.
The Made in Chelsea star has made history by being the first person to set the male record for “highest altitude reached by marathon distance run”. He achieved this at a dizzying altitude of more than 6,000m, where oxygen is less than half that at sea level.
Mr Patterson ran a total of 26.2 miles across freezing temperatures and unstable volcanic terrain, forcing his body to the edge of collapse in an environment that few can breathe in.
The challenge, titled ‘Sky’s the Limit’ was in honour of his godson Archie, a baby who passed away at just three months old from Sudden Infant Death syndrome. The funds raised will support Archie’s parents Emily and George Oliver’s foundation, The Baby Loss Club.
Mr Patterson told The Independent every mountain in the area is a volcano and each one is “uniquely beautiful”. He said: “Being up there was just a once in a lifetime experience and I think just the magnitude of the why behind why we were there just enhanced the experience.”
Mr Patterson explained that he had created a flag to place on top of the mountain which contained his godson’s name and the names of other children who had lost their lives. They held a minute’s silence for all of the children once they reached the summit.
“It was such a poignant moment being at the top of this volcano and being able to celebrate each and every one of these children and their families who’ve been through so much and to be able to dedicate this record not only to my godson, but to every single name that was on that flag.”
With a target of £35,000 to support 1,000 therapy sessions for grieving families, donations have already funded over half of the therapy sessions.
Arhcie’s mother, Emily Oliver told The Independent: “Having been through such a tragedy, it’s means the world to me to be able to raise money to support others and help achieve our mission to fund one million therapy sessions.”
She said she was grateful Patterson, her husband’s best friend of many years and a family friend, adding: “the kindness, love and courage he has shown us are the qualities we wanted our son Archie to possess and therefore felt we wanted Josh to play an important role in Archie’s life – not to mention the huge amount of fun and enjoyment they would have had together.”
Speaking on his godson’s passing, Mr Patterson said it was “devastating” and said “I just feel so passionate about the charity that they’re setting up and the work that it will do and I think just even seeing the impact that we’ve made on such a large community of families that have been affected by child loss already it is something that I’m very proud of.”
The world record attempt was accompanied by specialist medical crew to ensure safety during unforgiving conditions where altitude sickness, sudden weather changes and physical collapse posed real risks.
Mr Patterson is no stranger to breaking world records through dangerous feats, having previously completed 76 marathons in 76 consecutive days in 2023, as well as the 24-hour Run 4 Nations challenged across the UK. But he has described this as his “most daunting test yet” and described the training as particularly “taxing”.
He would complete five hours of altitude training a day at the altitude centre in Shoreditch and it was so intense it took a toll on his cognitive function, causing slurred speech and memory loss. He did everything from using a lowered oxygen altitude simulator, strength conditioning, nutritional dieting and even therapy to prepare him for the physical and emotional challenges.