ON THE WEEKEND of the London Marathon, one Varteg man pushed himself to the limits to raise money to buy essential items for patients at Nevill Hall Hospital.
Chris Burgess, 33, ran a full 26.2 miles up and down the mountain where he lives, staying within a mile and a half of his home at all times - in line with government guidelines.
Cheered on by his wife, children and mother-in-law, Mr Burgess completed eight laps of his mapped out course.
READ MORE: Varteg man running a marathon up a mountain to get essentials for Nevill Hall patients.
And after around five hours, he crossed an improvised finish line – with his youngest children holding a roll of toilet roll across the road.
(Chris Burgess completes his marathon challenge on a mountain. Credit: Gia Burgess)
“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be,” he said. “But it was worth it as it is such a worthy cause.
“My wife and kids made banners and set up a table outside our house for me to get food and water from each time I went past.
(Chris Burgess' children (L-R) Scarlette, Jack, Gracie, Phoebe, Tallulah, Noah and wife Gia supporting him during his mountain marathon challenge. Picture: Chris Burgess.)
“The kids also made bracelets with the number of laps I was on so I would know how far through I was.
“I couldn’t have done it without them. You usually have hundreds or thousands of people supporting you when you a marathon, as well as the other runners along the way.
“Seeing my wife and children and mother-in-law there every lap as I passed home was a much more personal support. That pushed me on loads.
“As I came back for the last time, my two youngest children held out a roll of toilet roll across the road as a finish line. I didn’t know they were going to do that, so that was a nice surprise.”
(Chris Burgess' family made him bracelets for each lap he completed. Picture: Chris Burgess.)
Mr Burgess said he had worked out the route had an elevation change of about 12,500 feet.
“It was difficult,” he said. “The floor was very uneven and rocky. Later on, I was having to concentrate on not falling over as I could hardly lift my feet off the ground.”
So far, Mr Burgess has raised around £1,300, which will be spent on essential items – such as toiletries or sanitary products – for patients at Nevill Hall Hospital.
(Chris Burgess' daughter Phoebe helping her dad complete his marathon mountain challenge. Picture: Chris Burgess.)
“It’s humbling to think that just me running up a mountain can raise so much money,” said Mr Burgess. “But it wouldn’t count for anything without people’s generosity.
“I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported me. My original target was £500.
“For me, everyone donating is more amazing than what I have done.”
Mr Burgess’ JustGiving page will remain open for donations until the weekend, when items will then be ordered and donated to the hospital.
This can be found at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/isolatedmarathonforcovid19atnevillhall
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here