Northampton father-of-three to run London Marathon for disadvantaged children despite knee operation

A Northampton man has set himself a challenge to complete the London Marathon, despite problems with his knee, to raise money for disadvantaged children.

Chris Ashton, from Duston, injured his knee “doing Joe Wicks workouts” during lockdown and, following an operation, he thought he would not be able “to do a lot going forward”. This particularly knocked him as he is heavily involved in youth football across Northampton and has three sons.

However, the 39-year-old says he has “really pushed himself” and decided on the London Marathon after a friend completed it last year.

The commercial manager who works for Belmont Press said: “I never thought I’d do a marathon, but I wanted to push myself.

“I read up on the charity UK Youth and decided I wanted to do it for them. The charity helps disadvantaged children. I see different variations of kids at youth football and I thought it would be a great idea to raise money for those less fortunate.

“This charity isn’t really in the limelight like some others, so any little bit can help, especially as the young ones are the future.”

Chris is currently running around 15 miles a week. The furthest he has run at once is 14 miles, but he says he will “get his head down” with training after Christmas.

The father-of-three added: “I’ve done a little bit of running but nothing in this region. I will 100 percent do it, though.

“I really want to do it and I don’t want to walk, I want to run it all, really.

“I’m 40 next year so it’s now or never for me and it is something I really want to experience and the more money I can raise for the kids the better.”

Chris is also keen to get local businesses on board for sponsorship, as he is aware it is a difficult time to be asking members of the public to donate to his cause. On the day of the race on April 23, 2023, Chris will wear a UK Youth running vest, but is happy to wear shorts with business logos.

Businesses can contact Chris on: [email protected].

Other donations can be made on his fundraising page here.