British runner training with a fridge on his back mistaken for thief

A British man training for the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon while carrying a fridge on his back had his training interrupted by local police, who thought he was stealing the fridge.According to the BBC, Daniel Fairbrother of Stevenage, U.K., was out for a run in his hometown when a police officer pulled him over, mistaking him for a thief. Fairbrother told the BBC the police officer wound down his window and said: “You understand I’ve got to stop you, is that a fridge on your back?”

After Fairbrother explained his unique marathon challenge, he said the officer cracked a joke: “You do know if you order food, they will usually deliver it for you?”The idea to challenge the world record for the fastest marathon while carrying a fridge came to Fairbrother during a night of heavy drinking with his friend. Fairbrother, who has a half-marathon PB of an hour and 40 minutes, has to beat the previous (marathon) mark of 4:52:10, which was set by British runner Sam Hammond at the 2023 London Marathon.

Fairbrother has chosen to challenge the record at the same race. A fan of the movie Cool Runnings, he has named the portable fridge Tallulah, after the Jamaican bobsleigh in the movie. His goal is not only to break the record but to raise at least £10,000 (CAD $17,000) for Diabetes UK. At the time of writing, Fairbrother had hit 35 per cent of his goal.The cause hits close to home for Fairbrother, whose closest friend has type-1 diabetes. “I want to raise lots of money for a great cause and do my bit to ensure they can carry on with their great work,” he wrote.

According to the BBC, the police officer ended up shaking hands with Fairbrother and wished him the best for his marathon training.

posted Sunday February 4th
by Running Magazine