Sandbach man to run North Pole marathon for local autism charity
By Alex Greensmith
19th Oct 2022 | Local News
A Sandbach resident will brave a marathon in sub zero temperatures.
39-year-old Chris Woolnough will brave a 26.2 miles run in the blistering cold for a Cheshire autism charity.
Chris, who works as the Managing Director of Crewe gadget insurance company Assurant, is a lifelong Sandbach resident.
He explained why he is pushing his body to the limits for a good cause.
"My middle boy - who is now six - is autistic", he said.
"Cheshire Autism Practical Support (ChAPS) have really helped us. Even today, he has had one-to-one swimming lessons with them.
"They've also provided amazing training courses to help me and my wife really understand autism.
"One of the things I wanted to do for them was to see how to raise more money, and I've done a few marathons for other charity before.
"A lot of these charities like ChAPS are quite small. So the money raised can have a material impact, say a national charity.
"And I also wanted to do something that would help the local area."
Chris wants to raise £10,000 for Northwich-based Cheshire Autism Practical Support Ltd.
The charity helps families with autism thrive.
19 people have donated to Chris already, seven months before his challenge. (Image - North Pole Marathon)
So far, Chris has raised £940 before even setting foot on the ice. The ex-Sandbach Boys School pupil is a father-of-three.
His fastest marathon time is three hours and 57 minutes. Though, this will be quite the challenge on the ice!
"Lots of people do marathons that raise money, so I thought, for me to raise a significant chunk I'd need to do something a bit more extreme," he added.
"I thought to myself 'what's the hardest thing I could do?'
"I have a book which contains all the best races around the world, I opened a page at random and up came the North Pole Marathon.
"I didn't even know such a thing was possible. I will be running it in April next year.
"I actually looked to do it in 2021, but COVID meant the race was cancelled.
"My long-term ambition is to run a charity marathon on every continent. Three months before the North Pole visit, I will be running the Miami Marathon, and at Christmas I will be training in Finland to get used to running in similar conditions to what I will experience in April."
Air temperatures can be as cold as 1.6 Degrees Celsius at the North Pole in April, but the ground temperatures combined with winds, will make it feel much colder.
Many marathon runners double the regular calorific intake for the challenge, due to the cold.
"I'm currently also nursing a broken foot which adds even more jeopardy to the challenge," he also said.
"Sandbach is a fantastic town. It is a great place to live. The schools are amazing. It is great for socialising for bars and restaurants. I could not imagine living anywhere else.
"So thank you to everyone from Sandbach for your support.
"Everything I'm doing to get to the North Pole is self-funded, and all your donations will go towards the charity and help other kids in Cheshire in the same way it has helped my family.
"Especially in the current economic times, anything anyone could contribute would be massively appreciated.
Sandbach: You can donate to Chris' fundraiser by clicking here.
You can also learn more about the world's coldest marathon by clicking here.
Cheshire Autism Practical Support Ltd have been contact for comment.
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