Chris Heaton attempts 30 Marathons in 30 Days - September 2013 - raising funds to support vulnerable young people
Many believed that it couldn’t be done but with only four days left, of his 30 marathons in 30 days challenge, Chris Heaton, from Sheffield, is on the verge of confounding those who thought he’d set himself an impossible target.
Chris, aged 54, and a Trustee of Brathay Trust, the Ambleside based national charity that improves the life chances of children and young people, wanted to push himself to the very limits of physical and mental endurance in a bid to raise much needed funds for the charity. And when he announced that he would run 30 marathons, in 30 days, around the Brathay Windermere Marathon and the Great Langdale Marathon courses, on alternate days, many feared for his sanity.
Add to that, the fact that he intended to complete the course entirely self-supported and you would be forgiven for sharing their concerns.
To take on two of the most difficult marathon courses in the country in this way, is unheard of. It would appear that Chris has thrown down the gauntlet to ultra-runners the world over, in his quest to raise cash for Brathay Trust, and experience the heady sense of running fulfilment.
What’s also stunned those who have been following his journey, for the past 26 days, is the remarkable consistency of his performances. Even though he has been dogged, unsurprisingly, by ankle and shin problems he’s been banging in highly impressive finishing times.
Mark Bushell, from Brathay Trust, explained: “Those following Chris’s blog have been left in awe by his achievements to date. The man’s like a metronome, he just keeps banging in fantastic times. He ran Day 1 in 04:31 and Day 25 in 04:33, which is utterly ridiculous. It’s a bit like watching Dynamo the Magician; you just keep asking yourself “How did he just do that!”
As you would expect Chris is taking nothing for granted in his bid for running greatness. He said: “My left shin still concerns me, particularly with the added challenge of back to back Langdales on Friday and Saturday. My current pattern seems to be to trash it on Langdale, get some respite on Windermere, then trash it again. So I will have to be careful.”
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Family, friends and supporters of Chris, are beginning to consider the possibility that he may actually pull it off. His final marathon will take place on Sunday 29th September, and Brathay Trust are appealing for as many people as possible to cheer him off, at 9:30am,from the starting line outside the drive to Brathay Hall, just outside Ambleside.
For those unable to attend the start they’re encouraging people to welcome Chris home at the finishing line, positioned on the Brathay Hall lawn, from 2:00pm onwards.
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Hopefully there will be a fitting reception waiting for a man completing his last great, and truly inspirational, challenge.
www.challenge30.net
www.twitter.com/challengethirty
www.facebook.com/challengethirty
www.justgiving.com/run30
