Form about his 3000 mile run across America. He started his talk off with a video clip of him showing us the 79 day run across 12 states of America. His inspiration to do the run came from a book that he read about the American run, and he decided to do the same.
After the video, Chris talked to us about his preparation and the support he received from his wife, Julia. She accompanied him in a support vehicle, along with a camera man. They ran from Half Moon Bay (near San Francisco) on the west coast of America, to New York on the east coast. Chris described how he had to run through stifling heat (up to 45 degrees Celsius), snow and altitudes of up to 10,000 ft.! They got up at 5am every morning, and ran at least 40 miles a day, in order to achieve the run before his visas expired.
Chris used a very expensive piece of high tech, lightweight clothing which reflected the sun’s rays and he had to sip ice chilled water every few minutes to survive the intense heat of the Nevada desert. He also sustained a spiral fracture in his leg due to the repetitive pounding of his foot on the tarmac. Chris made a decision to continue running (in extreme pain!) The leg miraculously repaired itself after a number of days! Chris also showed us his endless pairs of running shoes he used on the run. There must have been 30 pairs! In the Q&A session, Chris told us that ‘as a warm down’ he completed the New York marathon the day after the completion of the run, in a time of 3 hours and 38 minutes!
Chris is also one of a handful of athletes who have competed in every London Marathon since its conception. He is a Guinness World Record holder for the greatest number of successfully completed London marathons sub 3 hours. He has also represented England and Great Britain in Ultra Marathon running.
Chris is an inspiration to us all!
