Wigan Warriors and Sale Sharks play role in Lexi Chambers' wheelchair world record attempt
Lexi Chambers is over halfway through her record-breaking challenge. Credit: @ppauk
An amputee army veteran with chronic pain conditions has enlisted the help of Sale Sharks and Wigan Warriors as she attempts to break a world record in her wheelchair.
Lexi Chambers, who is originally from Bury, Lancashire, is passing through the north west on her quest to wheel from John O’Groats to Land’s End using a standard wheelchair.
The 874-mile all-weather challenge means she needs to complete the equivalent of 35 marathons in 35 days.
As if that isn’t enough, Lexi is also carrying a rugby ball between clubs to demonstrate how the women’s game has inspired her.
She passed a ball from Wigan Warriors to Sale Sharks before Sunday’s match at Salford Community Stadium and said the response had been “amazing".
"Each club has put on something just incredibly special,” she said. "They seem to have sort of rallied around and really got behind the concept."
The former nurse is a below-knee amputee and faces three chronic pain conditions which have led to more than 20 surgeries.
She set off from John O’Groats on 27 August, hopes to achieve her fifth world record when she arrives at Land’s End on 10 October.
The amateur endurance athlete has now covered more than 500-miles and climbed over the hight of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Lexi said she has been in training all year.
"I've been doing three marathons a week and to be honest nothing would prepare you for what happened and what came on that first couple of days, and what's coming every day,” she said. “Each day I’m getting faster times."
She said the rainy weather as she arrived in Salford, was “super tough” and described the difficulties of pushing on the wheelchair rims in the wet.
However, she said she was keeping her spirits up as supporters have been throwing money into buckets and beeping car horns as they pass.
Lexi is raising money for the Exeter Chiefs Foundation and the Aaron Lewis Foundation.