Lifestyle News

    Runner to Carry Fridge on His Back in Four Consecutive Marathons

    Tony Phoenix-Morrison trains for the April marathon challenge.

    Tony Phoenix-Morrison has been running marathons for a long time. Unlike typical marathoners, he runs with a 92.5-pound fridge on his back—all in the name of fundraising. But this April, Phoenix-Morrison, also known as “The Fridge,” will be running four marathons within a 24-hour period.

    The challenge will begin at the London Marathon on April 13, where the England-based runner will be raising money for Cancer Research UK through the Bobby Robson Foundation, citing that he’s lost a number of family members and friends to cancer. He’s asking people to donate by texting his Vodafone JustTextGiving code—FRID93.

    “No matter what pain I go through I will get to the end of this as my pledge to help beat cancer,” he told The Journal. “It will be incredibly tough and the slightest misplaced step could cause serious injury. I am really hoping the general public get behind me and pledge their support by text donating, as that is the key to me completing this challenge.”

    A big highlight from his running career includes running 40 marathons in 40 days, and completing the majority of it with a broken femur.

    “I found a way of connecting with people who were fighting cancer by carrying this huge burden on my back,” he said in a video on his website.

    While his past feats and the news of his current plan are quite impressive to most, it’s clear there are some health risks that come along with pushing the body that hard. Mick Wilkinson, a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Northumbria University who has worked with Phoenix-Morrison, said, “While training offers some protection against muscular damage, the way Tony is forced to run to counterbalance the weight of the fridge subjects his skeleton to incredibly high forces every time he lands.”

    While the runner has been participating in challenges such as this for quite some time, he has announced this will be the last of its kind. But that doesn’t mean he’s done with endurance races, as he plans to break the world record for the 874-mile John O’Groats to Land’s End run—he’ll do it this time without a fridge.

    “This record attempt will be my final near impossible journey, which I hope will inspire people in their battles with cancer and encourage people to keep moving forward,” he told The Journal.

    For more information, check out Phoenix-Morrison’s website or donate by texting FRID93 to 70070.

    http://youtu.be/xdKQCXjjya0

    Image is screenshot of video by Adam.J.W.C. on YouTube