A GROUP of Yate women ran a half-marathon with a difference – carrying fridges, washing machines, microwaves and cookers strapped to their backs.
The 26 women, who take part in Commando Bootcamp fitness sessions in the town, ran from Yate Park & Ride to the centre of Bristol on September 22, completing the challenge in just four hours despite wet and cold conditions.
The idea came from one of Commando Bootcamp’s founders, Debbs Ralph, and her husband Lee, a firefighter who previously served in the Royal Marines.
Lee’s military training included running with heavily-weighted rucksacks called Bergens. To carry the appliances, they cut the back panels from Bergens to attach the straps to them.
Debbs said: “We were able to pick up the machine like it was a rucksack.”
The runners made stops along the way to swap over the appliances and avoid chaffing.
The 13.1-mile fundraising event had raised more than £8,300 as the Voice went to press for the Blonde Angel street team, a charity helping homeless people who are sleeping rough in South Gloucestershire and Bristol.
Debbs said carrying white goods seen in every home inspired the choice of charity, adding: “We take this stuff for granted in our homes, so we thought of Blonde Angels.”
The donation page is still open.
One of the Yate runners with a washing machine strapped to her back
Debbs, who works for South Gloucestershire Council and for Lee’s part-time electrical business, started Commando Bootcamp with Lee in lockdown, when households could mix for exercise in “tiny groups”.
Debbs said she had “minimal experience of the gym” and Lee suggested a few of their friends get together to work out.
She said: “The group was originally more of a sociable get-together, but it spiralled from there and now we are doing huge events.”
The couple, who have two teenage daughters, raised £7,000 for a cancer charity with their first event in 2022, a team relay carrying 70kg log, and have raised around £40,000 to date.
Next up is the group’s annual sleigh run on December 14, with a gym circuit on top of a mountain planned for next year, carrying the equipment up and down.
Commando Bootcamp sessions are free and take place every Monday on an open space in Goose Green, Yate, with space for children to play while adults are training.
For more information, email commandobootcampfundraising@gmail.com.
