Chichester gym owner to run 100 miles backwards for charity

A personal trainer and gym owner is set to take on an unusual challenge for charity '“ 100 miles in 24 hours, backwards.
Jamie Alderton with daughter Elyza, three. Pic by Fivos Averkiou kO1VyAqZrBPL4fXL5rl-Jamie Alderton with daughter Elyza, three. Pic by Fivos Averkiou kO1VyAqZrBPL4fXL5rl-
Jamie Alderton with daughter Elyza, three. Pic by Fivos Averkiou kO1VyAqZrBPL4fXL5rl-

Jamie Alderton, from Bognor Regis, is gearing up for another impossible task in aid of Sussex children’s charity Chestnut Tree House.

The body transformation specialist, who runs GrenadeFit at Terminus Road, Chichester, completed a 24-hour sled push for St Wilfrid’s Hospice in November last year, raising more than £12,000.

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Jamie said: “When I did the sled push last year I saw how amazing everybody was and how much support I received.

“It is incredible that I can use my skills and talents to help another local charity.

“I’m going to start my training next Monday – it is just like anything physical I have done in the past, if do the right training I will have the confidence to get round.”

When asked why he decided to complete the challenge backwards, Jamie said: “Because running forwards is easy.

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“In my head it means that somebody else has still done it. I want to do something nobody else has done.

“I have completed a 5k race backwards before and beat six people – I can run backwards better than some people can run forwards.”

Jamie hopes to raise £15,000 during the challenge, which he will be live streaming from his Facebook page.

He said: “I picked Chestnut Tree House because my daughter Elyza is three years old and it would be the worst situation to have any child with a life-limiting condition.

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“It is brilliant that there is a place supporting and helping these children, it pulls on my own heart strings.”

Not only will Jamie be raising money for Chestnut Tree House but he will also be aiming to beat a Guinness World Record.

He continued: “I don’t know if this is going to be harder than my sled push.

“The distance is a lot more and I think the training will be harder because it will be weather dependent and there will be obstacles.

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“If you see a man running backwards around King George V playing fields in Felpham, that will be me.”

Jamie will be completing the 100 mile challenge at Loughborough University on August 24.

Updates can be found at his Facebook page: @grenadejay.

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