Rob steps out on a marathon
A physiotherapist at Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital recently took part in one of the world’s most challenging marathons - The Great Wall in China.
Not only did Rob Fox run the full 26.2 miles, including climbing more than 5,000 steps, he was seventh of 2,500 runners and the first Briton to cross the line.
An inpatient specialist physiotherapist at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, it was Rob's second time to do the event.
Not only did Rob run the full 26.2 mile world-renowned marathon, he also was the first British runner at the event to cross the finish line.
He said: “Having the opportunity to take part in the Great Wall Marathon for a second time was amazing – I had such a fantastic experience.
“I also got to take part in the challenge with my wife, who ran the Great Wall Half Marathon, which just made the overall experience so much better.
“The marathon is extremely unique due to the number of steps you face during the race; in total I climbed 5,164 steps which is just a phenomenal amount.”
Participants start and finish at Yin and Yang Square and run along the Great Wall but also through small, traditional Chinese villages.
Rob added: “On the day of the marathon, Yin and Yang Square has such an amazing atmosphere with spectators really encouraging you and pushing you on.
“Whilst running across the Great Wall of China, you get to see some really remarkable views due to being so high up – twice during the marathon, you’re 493 meters from the ground.
“It was also fantastic to run through the villages. The local people were outside watching and some runners even stopped to have a chat to them, which was really nice to see.”
Out of approximately 2,500 runners, Rob placed seventh overall with a time of three hours and 55 minutes.
He said: “I first took part in this race in 2007 where I placed 28th overall with a time of four hours and 38 minutes and my goal for this race was to beat my previous time.
“I’m extremely chuffed I managed to do this and all the training really paid off.
“I’m hoping my next marathon challenge will be the Mount Everest Marathon next year – I’ve also completed this once before but would like to take part again to raise money for charity.”
