Marathon of the North

Brothers-in Law SSgt Steve Chessell and Cpl Chris Atkinson will be running in the first ever Marathon of the North on 6th May.

The race will start and finish at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and will be run as part of the Sunderland Festival weekend.

Steve has been serving in the Army for 14 years and Chris 11 years. It's a real family affair, as both soldiers are in the REME, as is Steve's sister, Laura, and both their fathers served over 20 years each.

The soldiers have both been involved in fundraising for charity through the Army before, but have now chosen to support Coming Home for their latest challenge. Chris has completed two marathons previously and he and Steve are ramping up their training over the next 15 weeks. They are no strangers to competing in long distance events; Steve has taken part in the 104 mile Nijmegen Marches, which takes place over four days in the Netherlands. Chris was part of an airborne REME marathon team that carried Bergans weighing in excess of 60lbs, which completed the 26.2 mile route in record time.

The brothers recently raced the REME cross country 10k (pictured above) - every little helps where training is concerned!

To sponsor Steve and Chris, click here.