“No medal, no pat on the back, no finish line” - yet thousands will run every single day this December as part of an annual running challenge that started in Glasgow.

The challenge, known as Marcothon, will see runners face the pouring rain and raging hangovers to run 5 kilometres everyday.

For eleven years it has been growing more popular across the globe in what started as a bit of “intermarriage competition”.

In November 2009, Marco Consani decided to run 5km, or at least 25 minutes, each day of the month.

His wife, Debbie Martin Consani, decided to follow suit in the first ‘Marcothon’, she recalled thinking: “If you’re going to then I’m going to do it, but I’m going to do it in December when it’s harder.”

That year it started with a handful of people, but it has since grown to thousands.

The 45-year-old woman said: “It’s really overwhelming, because every year it just gets bigger and better.”

But her favourite part is that people are running “for no reason whatsoever”.

“It is nice to see people have been personally motivated to do something for themselves, rather than some external gratification,” she added.

She explains the charm of Marcothon is that it is not about the “elites”, she added: “It’s not about speed, it’s not about pace. It’s just about getting out there and doing it.”

A prime example to all “Marcothoners” is 87-year-old Ken who joins in each year - and a “legend” within the group.

More than five thousand people are now members of the Marcothon group creating a tight knit community she labelled as “brilliant”.

Without a quick end to the challenge, many rely on the support and encouragement of the group to complete the challenge.

Debbie said: “There’ll be like one person who will come on and go: ‘I can’t fit it in today, I’m too tired and slightly hungover and I don’t want to go, so good luck, everyone’.

“They are just jumped upon - everyone encourages them and then they go quiet for like half an hour.

“And you know they’re going out for a run.”

Most people return to the challenge year after year.

“So, so many people, they’ll say I’m never doing this again, it’s too hard, and then they sneak back in the year after.

“They can’t bear to be without it.”

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing most running events to close, Debbie believes this year’s Marcothon will be even more special.

“It just gives you that little something to look forward to.”

And with the Marcothon community already mainly online in the form of a Facebook group, the community spirit will remain unchanged by Covid-19.