Oliver Chambers to tackle ultra marathon post lockdown
August 24, 2020
Oliver Chambers decided at the start of 2020 to shake himself up, set himself a challenge and raise money for an excellent cause.
Unfortunately, coronavirus restrictions meant he had to change his plans to take part in the Manx Mountain Marathon and the Wicklow EcoTrail 50- mile run. However, the 24 – year old from Douglas would not be defeated and has now set his sights on completing one of the toughest challenges the Manx landscape can present.
On Saturday 29th August, Oliver will tackle the infamous ‘Bob Baxter’, a route of between 50-60 miles that covers 37 hills for a total of over 11,000 feet of elevation.
The challenge is named in memory of the popular local fell runner who first completed the course in 1975 in a time of 14 hours and 55 minutes. He knocked 2 hours off his time the following year.
According to the MFR website only a handful of athletes have completed the ‘Bob Baxter’ since then, and the record of 11 hours and 35 minutes, set by Colin Donnelly in 1982, still stands today.
Through sponsorship for his incredible efforts Oliver plans to raise £1000 for local charity MCH Psychological Services, formerly known as Manx Cancer Help. MCH provides free, timely psychotherapy and counselling services for people with cancer or another life limiting diagnosis.
The charity’s experienced, professional team are also behind the Isle Listen project – a community based positive mental health initiative, launched last year.
Oliver said,” MCH have been doing amazing work for many years now, providing a service which has been underfunded on the Isle of Man. More recently, this service has expanded with the introduction of Isle Listen – the fantastic team has been helping young people be more mindful of their mental health and how to cope in times of difficulty. They also train employers to be more aware of work-related stress and employee wellbeing”.
If you would like to support Oliver’s fundraising please visit his JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/oliver-chambers1 or call MCH on 679544.
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