17-year-old Marcus Skeet, also known as ‘The Hull Boy’ online, has taken home the prestigious Pride of Britain Special Recognition Award at the ceremony on Monday night.
Marcus was given the award for overcoming serious mental health challenges and becoming the youngest person to ever run the length of Britain – raising nearly £165,000 in the process for mental health charity Mind.
After winning the award, Marcus took to Instagram and said: “2 years ago I attempted not to be here anymore, 2 years later last night happened.
“Everyone’s tunnel is different, some people’s are long, dark and have speed bumps but every tunnel ends at some point and that shows no matter how long or what we are going through – it will get better and I mean that.”
It was presented to him by singer Anne Marie, who is an ambassador for Mind, and reality TV personalities Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson.
Marcus was just 12 when he became a carer for his dad after he was diagnosed with dementia.
As a result, Marcus’ physical and mental health declined rapidly and he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, and OCD.
By 15, he was in ‘one of the darkest places’ and attempted to take his own life after months of isolation.
However, Marcus made a decision to turn his life around. Going from strength to strength, he started walking short distances at first, before running longer routes.
Marcus began documenting his journey online under the username ‘The Hull Boy’, a homage to his love for Hull City FC.
The aim of posting online was to inspire others who are struggling with their mental health.
Since then, Marcus has racked up over 125,000 followers on TikTok and 37,600 on Instagram.
@thehullboy Mental health tried to take me now its time to prove you CAN get better! #mentalhealth #running #runningchallenge #runtok #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #football #youcandothis ♬ som original – ace.. lyricss
In April last year, he challenged himself to run a mile a day and raised over £8,000 for Mind.
Then, wanting to push himself further he took on the London Marathon last September, raising a further £19,590 for the same charity.
The 17-year-old set out on his biggest challenge yet in April 2025, running from Land’s End to John O’Groats – a distance covering 874 miles.
He became the youngest person ever to run the entire length of the UK and raised nearly £165,000 for Mind.
Judges for the Pride of Britain Awards said: “Marcus is an extraordinary example of the power of the human spirit. He was as low as it is possible to go, but through sheer strength of character, turned not only his life around, but made a huge difference to so many other people.”
The Pride of Britain award show will be aired on ITV tonight at 8pm.
Image: Pride of Britain