Royal Marine takes on Guinness World Record attempt with fridge on his back
A serving Royal Marine has set out on a mission to support the families of Armed Forces personnel – with a little help from a fridge.
Corporal Sam Hammond, 30, who is based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, in Cornwall, began a fundraiser for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, by going for a world record attempt.
He is hoping to complete both a full and half marathon with a fridge strapped to his back and already has the Brighton half marathon under his belt.
Cpl Hammond said: "I wanted to do something big, silly, and noticeable, so, I thought of a fridge.
"It's a challenge but it also grabs your attention. I did the Brighton half marathon, and it went really well. I think my training plan led me to a really good place. I was ahead of my initial plan and got to a good pace with no issues.
"I was going for the Guinness World Record of doing a full and half marathon whilst carrying a fridge. The record currently stands at two hours, 45 minutes and eight seconds for the half marathon, and the record for a full marathon is five hours, 49 minutes and 37 seconds."
His official time in Sunday's Brighton half marathon was two hours, four minutes and 13 seconds and he will be taking on the London Marathon in April in a bid to meet the second half of the record.
The fridge the serving Royal Marine carries is known as 'Fridget Jones' and weighs 26kg – according to Guinness World Records, the fridge has to weigh at least 25kg for the record attempt to count.
Cpl Hammond's fundraising journey started in 2022 when he took on the Welsh Three Peaks Challenge while carrying the fridge for the charity. The potential record-breaker has so far raised £1,658 for SSAFA on his latest challenge.
Cpl Hammond said: "I've been with the Royal Marines for nine years, and I joined when I was 21. I've been all over the world with them.
"SSAFA not only helps service personnel, but they also do a lot for our families. While we're away we sometimes forget about things at home but, for them, it's always on their minds.
"When I go away, I leave my mum behind. I would like to think if she ever needed it SSAFA would be there for her," he added.
To support the fridge-carrying marine's London marathon attempt visit SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity: Man Vs Fridge vs London Marathon or visit his account on Instagram at Man_vs_fridge.
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