AN extreme athlete is running a marathon through Chester as part of an attempt to run seven marathons in seven days.

Craig Gilchrist hopes to raise awareness of one of the UK’s growing health challenges – heart failure.

He works in cardiac rehabilitation, and aims to raise money for the UK’s only dedicated heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous, as well as awareness about the symptoms.

He is running seven marathon routes across England and Wales, including through Chester.

His third marathon will be taking place through Chester.

The route passes all Chester's iconic landmarks, then heads out into the Chester & North Wales countryside, before returning along the banks of the River Dee.

Mr Gilchrist said: “It’s going to be an incredibly tough challenge – running one marathon is hard enough, but to do it every day for seven days, and I can’t even imagine how I am going to make it through – it’s definitely one of the crazier things I’ll ever do.”

He  has been inspired by his work as an exercise physiologist with the University Hospital North Midlands NHS Cardiac Rehabilitation Team, where he sees people with heart failure learn to manage and cope with the condition, despite its bad reputation:

“People hear heart failure and they get scared – and rightly so because it is a serious condition, but that doesn’t mean it is an automatic death sentence.

"It’s a condition that can be managed with the right care. And like most conditions, the earlier it is detected, the better.”

As well as growing awareness of the symptoms and importance of early diagnosis, Craig is also aiming to raise £7,777 for Pumping Marvellous to help them continue their vital support work for people living with heart failure. You can sponsor Craig via his Enthuse page here: https://pmf.enthuse.com/pf/7marathons-in-7days

The Foundation is based in the City of Preston, where Craig’s first marathon will take place on 22nd October.

Day 1: Preston Guild Wheel – 22nd October

The Guild Wheel is a 21-mile circular route around Preston that can be traversed in any direction. The route is mainly off-road and traffic free, providing a scenic and safe cycling/ walking or running route.

Day 2: Newcastle-Under-Lyme – 23rd October

This route will travel through Stoke-On-Trent and will be running past the Royal Stoke Hospital and Finishing at Stafford Hospital.

Day 3: Chester – 24th October

The MBNA Chester Marathon route is the 3x winner of the UK's best marathon (with up to 5,000 runners on race days) and home to the England Athletics Age Group Masters Championships, with a route that passes all Chester's iconic landmarks, then heads out into the Cheshire & North Wales countryside, before returning along the banks of the River Dee.

Day 4: Shropshire – 25th October

This route is four laps of the 'Run' component of Shropshire's 3 day Ironman Triathlon.

Day 5: Wrexham – 26th October

This route starts on Bridge Road North and finishing at 'The Club House' Oak Road on Wrexham Industrial Estate, this is a well-known half marathon race route.

Day 6: North Wales Coastal Path Abergele to Llandudno – 27th October

This route follows the cycle route 5 / the Welsh Coastal Path along the North Wales Coast. This route runs all the way to Rhos-on-sea. Once he reaches the pier at Llandudno he will follow the coast to accrue as miles as needed to hit his 26.2 miles target finishing at Llandudno.

Day 7: Snowdonia – 28th October

Marathon Eryri has been voted Best British Marathon twice. The demanding and spectacular route which encircles Yr Wyddfa – the highest peak in Wales.