Running for the Hills

Mr Chris Emmett, the College's Strength and Conditioning Coach, is set to take on Britain’s toughest marathon this weekend. On Saturday 24 October, Chris will join thousands of runners who make the journey to Wales in order to take on the Snowdonia Marathon Eryri. Widely credited as the UK’s toughest marathon, the race takes on England and Wales' highest mountain, Snowdonia, and surrounding mountains. The word ‘hill’ falls short of describing the ascent facing the runners this weekend. However, the race also holds the accolade of being one of the most beautiful, and Chris has chosen to run it in support of the Lymphoma charity.

Five years ago, Chris and his family were faced with the words that no one wants to hear; his mum had been diagnosed with cancer. A frightening statistic has been published, that one in three people are affected by cancer. That does nothing to lessen the shock, and the Emmett family had to come to terms with the life-changing diagnosis. Undergoing various treatments across the last five years, the final treatment faced was a bone marrow transplant. Sadly, the treatments were unsuccessful, and Chris’s mum recently passed away.

Having seen the fighting spirit and determination his mum exemplified over the years since her diagnosis, Chris chose to undergo a small hardship in recognition of this, and to raise money for the charity which proved a lifeline. Lymphoma Charity are the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to supporting families affected by lymphatic cancer. For the Emmett family, they did just that: nurses and doctors offered incredible support, and Chris has chosen to support the charity that are now so close to his heart.

With a target of £6,000, Chris started training for the marathon. With the support of family, friends and colleagues, Chris has smashed through the £6,000 target and the number just keeps on climbing. The donations will go towards life-saving research into fighting lymphatic cancer, and supporting those with a diagnosis. Knowing the support he has behind him, Chris heads to Wales this weekend to tackle this epic challenge.

There is still time to support Chris in this difficult challenge, by visiting his JustGiving page. Any donations are greatly appreciated. In his own words, ‘please give what you can for an awesome cause and something very close to mine and my family's hearts.’

In his role as Strength and Conditioning Coach at Shiplake, Chris creates bespoke programmes for students relevant to their chosen sport(s). Programmes are graduated through the year groups to aid pupils' physical and athletic development. Chris also offers personal training sessions based at the College gym to staff and parents. If you are interested in booking a private session, please email [email protected].