Since moving to the city at the age of three, Ricky Houghton has grown up living in and loving the area, one day hoping to make his mark.

(Image: Ricky Houghton)

The 29-year-old is a personal trainer at Anytime Fitness in Bushey who shares his daring stunts with thousands of followers online.

In August Ricky took on his most ambitious challenge yet, running around the entirety of the county.

“I became the first person to run the full circumference of Hertfordshire, starting and finishing at St Albans Cathedral,” Ricky said.

Ricky is no stranger to a huge running challenge

“It covered 175 miles and took me 58 hours — the equivalent of two and a half days.”

“This is my greatest achievement to date and it felt very special to do it in the place where I was raised.”

In 2026, Ricky has pushed his limits with challenges including a 53-mile run from St Albans to Gatwick and a 76-mile route from St Albans Cathedral to Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and back.

He continued: “I have desired to do these runs and tie them to my hometown where I can, in the hope of being more relatable to those who reside here with me, and to enlighten them that we can achieve anything if we set not only our minds but our hearts to something too.”

“I felt the full impact of the achievement when my friends, family and wider circle gave me a huge welcome at St Albans Cathedral after my two-and-a-half-day expedition.”

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“This moved me to give a speech, thanking everyone and encouraging them never to limit themselves, whatever their background or circumstances.”

Ricky discovered running after lockdown and has built his success step by step.

“I found my passion for training at 18 when I was at university because I was unhappy with my physique. I pursued bodybuilding for around six years, reaching nearly 100kg,” he said.

Lockdown and closed gyms halted his routine, so he turned to running. But when gyms reopened, he soon “slipped back into his old ways”.

“That was when I realised how unhappy it was making me, so I booked my first event — the St Albans Half Marathon in 2023 — and the rest is history,” he said.

The whole route took 175 miles

Speaking about his first half marathon, he said: “It gave me a taste for the thrill of joining people giving their all to reach a common goal and overcome adversity. That’s what gave me the bug.”

“It was especially exciting when I received my first medal. It was a tough day, with temperatures above 30 degrees, but that fuelled the excitement.”

“It has been a slow climb from half marathons to marathons and now ultras, and I have always strived to step up each year.”

Ricky’s next targets are a sub-3:30 marathon personal best and another ultra, potentially running the length of England.

“I shall keep spreading this message and representing my hometown by taking on more challenges like this one,” Ricky concluded.

Ricky Houghton outside St Albans Cathedral after running the circumference of Hertfordshire (Image: Ricky Houghton)

Before his 2026 challenges, Ricky ran 62 miles from London to Brighton in 2024 and completed a 60-mile ultra around an athletics track.

An injury in March 2025 sidelined him for five months before he returned with a 1:33 half marathon in September.

Later that year he completed a marathon around Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, a 32-mile ultra around Wembley Stadium and a 31-mile treadmill ultra.