Eddy Pope's Berlin Marathon on Roller Skates

Eddy Pope is gearing up to compete in the Berlin Inline Skate Marathon on September 28th.

Not content to simply support his wife Jill (who is actually running the marathon), Eddy has decided to cover the 42kms on one of his favourite modes of transport – good old fashioned roller skates.

Now we all know that just merely participating is not in Eddy’s DNA, so he researched the world record for a marathon on roller skates and realized that there’s a chance he may get close to it! The word “can’t” does not appear in Eddy’s vocabulary so we know he will give it his best shot.

After navigating the bureaucracy that necessarily accompanies a world record attempt, Eddy’s application now has been accepted as a bone fide Guinness Book of World Records attempt!!

Eddy’s participation in this marathon is more than just a physical challenge; it’s a heartfelt effort to raise much needed funds for Cancer research.

We invite you all to support Eddy’s endeavour by making a donation. Your contribution will not only cheer Eddy on but will also help the many people that are fighting their own battles against Cancer.

The Why?

“I wanted to do something different—really different. My wife, Jill, took up running and set her sights on completing the Berlin Marathon. I can’t run—let’s just say I’m a bit too ‘chunky’ for that—but I was inspired, maybe even a little jealous.

Then I discovered there’s an inline skate race the day before the running marathon. When I read the rules and saw that roller skates were also permitted, I thought, ‘This is my chance!’ And when I realized that no one else has attempted to complete this marathon on old-school roller skates, I knew I had to give it a go.

I was an old school club speed skater 40 years ago before my insurance career took over and I’ve always felt like I had unfinished business on skates.

So why am I doing this? - It’s very different, both Unicorn and Howden are different - it’s ok to be a wee bit different, isn’t it ? ! It allows me to align (sort of) with Jill’s running marathon goals and for both of us to (hopefully) impress our 6 Year old daughter ! I want to prove that age is just a number, a marathon on roller skates is possible at 55 Years old !

Most importantly though, I would like to raise awareness and money for Cancer research. I have two amazing colleague/friends fighting their own battles against cancer right now, they are both absolutely inspirational in their positivity. I’m sure you have all been touched by people with who have had or continue to have similar struggles. I want to do a small something and skate for all of them.”