THE LITHERLAND RUNNING MAN

By Emmey Little

In April 2023, it was sadly reported that David Francis, known locally as The Litherland Running Man, had been tragically killed. Out of respect, we have removed this documentary from our website.

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‘The most interesting thing is not so much finding out exactly who this person is. The interesting thing is what people THINK he is.’

The Litherland Running Man was a local phenomenon. A mystery athlete who captured the imagination of Sefton’s residents with his daily, all-weather running regime.

In this documentary, what begins as a roadtrip becomes a journey through a peculiar kind of fandom. Because the Litherland Running man had become a social media icon, with legions of spottings and theories posted online.

Emmey talks to Dr Nedim Hassan, Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural studies at Liverpool John Moores University, to learn more about fandom, culture and identity, and how this applies to the creative mythology that has arisen around the Litherland Running Man.

Nedim Hassan
Steph Lynch
Emma Nibbs
Tricia O’Neill
Morven Proctor
Kirsty Rothwell
Ian Thorlad