Photo: Ank kumar / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Benito Mottoh, a Chelsea supporter and matchday steward at Stamford Bridge, completed a half-marathon distance of 23.1 miles by running repeated laps around the stadium, documenting the feat on Strava, which recently partnered with the club.
Mottoh's connection to Chelsea began at the age of eight, when people supporting him after the death of his mother introduced him to the club. He later joined the stadium staff as a steward in the Matthew Harding Stand.
He took up running at 23 when his father fell ill, using it as a healthy outlet. After his father's death, he began combining his two passions, recording runs between London stadiums and sharing them online, where they gathered a growing audience.
"When people go through difficult times, it can be tough, and sometimes it can take a negative toll on a person mentally, physically, all types of ways," Mottoh said. "Losing both my parents, it was kind of a make or break situation."
"But I said to myself: 'this is the turning point in my life where I need to make things happen. What are the things I love? How can I combine them both?'"
The Stamford Bridge half-marathon began as a more modest plan. "Initially, it was supposed to just be a lap around Stamford Bridge, to see how fast I can do it," Mottoh admitted. "But because of the love that I have for the club and my love for running, I decided to do a half-marathon instead."
Running repeated circuits of the stadium presented mental as well as physical challenges. Mottoh credited encouragement from Chelsea staff members encountered during the run with keeping him motivated.
"One thing that kept me going is a lot of the staff members from Chelsea. They were walking around the stadium, thinking: 'What's this guy doing?' and asking me: 'how many laps is this?'" he said. "Knowing that they were part of Chelsea, it was kind of like a family feeling."
Mottoh had previously recorded runs from Stamford Bridge to rival grounds including Arsenal and Tottenham, asking members of the public to choose his destination based on their club allegiance. The Strava partnership with Chelsea prompted him to mark the occasion with the stadium-based half-marathon.