'Fridget Jones' goes for Brighton Half World Record

08 February 2023

Sam Hammond, 30, is a man on a mission – with his fridge! The Royal Marine, based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, is no stranger to running around the country with white goods strapped to his back to raise money for SSAFA... but this time he’s going for a world record. On Sunday, 26 February Sam will be running the Brighton Half, with his fridge, which is named 'Fridget Jones'.

Sam said: “I have been doing this for a while to raise money for charity and I just wanted to take it to the next level. I’m going to begin with the Brighton Half, with a view to breaking the full marathon record at the London Marathon this year. The current record for a half marathon with a fridge on your back is 2 hours 45 minutes and I’m confident I can beat that.”

Last week Sam ran an Instagram poll to name his fridge, which he felt only fitting as they were going through so much together. His 900 followers suggested names including, Thaw (Sam’s personal favourite) and FridgyMcFridgeFace, but Fridget Jones gained the most votes. Sam is currently based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall and has chosen to raise funds for SSAFA throughout his record breaking attempts because of his passion for the military charity.

Sam says: “When you regularly have to go away for long stretches, several months at a time, it really affects the family that is left behind. I have seen that SSAFA is there to help your family, in an emergency, when you aren’t able to, and I think this work is so important and I want to help.”

The minimum weight for the fridge, according to the Guinness World Records, is 25kg. Sam’s fridge currently comes in at 26kg (roughly speaking, the same weight of an average eight year old), but it is not the weight that is an issue.

According to Sam, “The thing with a fridge is that it’s bulky and the weight isn’t close to your back, like a backpack or bergen would be. So the physics of it means that 26kg is more difficult to carry.

“The other problem is that, when I go out for practice runs with the fridge, I can’t go more than 10 minutes without being stopped and asked what on earth I’m doing. So, for normal training I’ll just carry weights.”

Sam has other things to worry about too. He has very recently had an operation to remove a lump from his chest.

Sam says: “It was a benign lump, so not too bad, but all the stitches are right where the straps for the fridge go. It couldn’t have been at a worst time, but I think it will be fine. I have rested up for a while, which has actually been the most difficult bit as I’m not used to being still, and am rearing to get back to training.”