54,000 people will be taking part in The Great North Run this Sunday, but some will stand out more than others. KAREN WILSON and VICKY ROBSON hear the stories of the fancy dress runners
THE FRIDGE MAN
WHEN Tony Phoenix- Morrison crosses the finishing line on Sunday, he’ll be the first person to complete the Great North Run with a six-stone fridge on his back.
The dad of four and grandad of one from Hebburn says it’ll be even heavier once he’s added speakers to play songs like Keep on Running.
“I needed to do something that would stretch me,” says Tony, who’ll be running his 15th Great North Run. “I was going to wear a broken 42" TV with a sign saying ‘too much telly is bad for you’ but it didn’t look that difficult and I wasn’t sure if people would think it was one of those dummy TVs.
“I needed something that would look big and bulky.”
Although Tony started training with kettle bells in a rucksack, the swinging action battered his lower back, so in recent weeks he’s been training with the fridge.
He acquired a metal frame used by the army to carry ammo boxes from an Ebay seller in Doncaster who waived the £26 bid when Tony told him about the run. This makes it much more secure and comfortable.
“I went across the Tyne Bridge during rush hour and I must’ve had 100 people toot their horn,” he says. “People were taking photos and several people ran after me and gave me money.”
This gave him the idea of turning the fridge into “a big money box” with a hole and funnel on the side for donations. The 47-year-old football coach of 20 years, who owns direct marketing business Targets Located, is hoping to raise at least £2,000 for The South Tyneside Football Trust and says the fridge is symbolic.
“The Trust hinges on one man, Alan Millwood, to keep it going,” he says. “South Tyneside owes the man a debt. I thought it would show the weight of responsibility on one man’s shoulders.
“The Trust makes such a massive positive impact on local society and has got 2,000 local kids playing football every week for the last decade, as well as sports for disabled kids.”
Normally Tony would expect to complete the run in around one hour 35 minutes, and is aiming for sub two hours with the fridge. He’s also planning to take his fridge to the London Marathon. As for next year, he’s already thinking about something a bit heavier ... a cooker!
To sponsor Tony, visit www.targetslocated.co.uk/donate
TINA TURNER
NURSERY nurse Alison Chan will be putting her best foot forward as her favourite singer this year.
The 43-year-old, from Whitley Bay, will be dressing up as Tina Turner in memory of her mum who died from cancer almost 16 years ago.
Alison is being sponsored by family, friends and colleagues to run in aid of St Oswald’s Hospice, in Gosforth, Newcastle. So far, she has raised around £400 which she is planning to take to the hospice after the race.
“It’s a long time since I’ve done the Great North Run – I think I was 19 when I last did it,” says mum-of-two Alison, who works at Beacon Hill Primary School, in Wallsend.
“I always said that if I was going to do it again, I would do it for my mum.
“She died within six months of finding out she had cancer, which was quite horrific. She decided to go to the hospice in the end, which I think was a very brave thing to do. It was very hard for us, but nice for her. They looked after her the way she wanted. They did everything to make her comfortable and answered all of our questions.”
Alison’s outfit was chosen due to a long-standing love for the American singer. When she married her husband, Hadrian Chan, nearly 19 years ago, Simply The Best was their wedding song.
And as a special birthday surprise, Alison dressed up as Tina for Hadrian’s 50th birthday and sang the song in front of 150 guests at his party.
Alison says: “My son has rigged my I-pod up to speakers in my bum bag, so I’ll be playing my Tina music while I’m running, so hopefully everybody else will be able to hear it too.
“Although I’m doing it for the hospice in memory of my mum, I’m also doing it because a lot of our children at the school use the services there as well. I’m planning to take the money to the hospice after the race, but I haven’t been there since my mum died, so it will be very emotional.
“I’m nervous, but I’m really looking forward to Sunday. I’m quite confident I’ll get around it and the hospice have a tent at the end for their runners to go and have a massage, which will be great.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation should do so directly to St Oswald’s Hospice on behalf of Alison Chan. Visit www.stoswaldsuk.org