Man vs Fridge running Exeter half marathon for charity
Sam Hammond, 30, is a man on a mission – with his fridge! The Royal Marine from Redruth is no stranger to running around the country with white goods strapped to his back to raise money for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. On the 11th February he will be running the Exeter Half marathon - with his fridge.
Sam said: “I have been doing this for a while to raise money for charity and I just wanted to take it to the next level. I’m going to begin with the Exeter Half and then move on to the Brighton Half, with a view to breaking the full marathon Guinness World Record of running with a fridge at the London Marathon in April this year. The current record for a half marathon with a fridge on your back is 2 minutes 45 seconds and I’m confident I can beat that.”
The minimum weight for the fridge, according to Guiness World Records, is 25kg (roughly the same weight of your average eight year old child). Sam’s fridge currently comes in at 26kg, but it is not the weight that is an issue.
According to Sam, “The thing with a fridge is that it’s bulky and the weight isn’t close to your back, like a backpack or bergen would be. So the physics of it means that 26kg is more difficult to carry.
“The other problem is that, when I go out for practice runs with the fridge I can’t go more than 10 minutes without being stopped and asked what on earth I’m doing. So, for normal training I’ll just carry weights.”
Sam has other things to worry about too. He has very recently had an operation to remove a lump from his chest.
Sam says: “It was a benign lump, so not too bad, but all the stitches are right where the straps for the fridge go. It couldn’t have been at a worst time, but I think it will be fine. I have rested up for a while, which has actually been the most difficult bit as I’m not used to being still, and I’m rearing to get back to training.”
Mr Fridgy, as the children in the park where he regularly takes his fridge for a run, call him, is based at RNAS Coldrose in Cornwall. He has chosen to raise funds for SSAFA throughout his record breaking attempts because of his work:
“When you have to go away for long stretches, several months at a time, it really affects the family that is left behind. I have seen that SSAFA is there to help your family in an emergency, when you aren’t able to. I think this work is so important and I want to help.”
If you would like to show your appreciation to Sam for his amazing exploits please give a little towards his fundraiser: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/man-vs-fridge
