A REAL-life Mrs Santa Claus will be running through the streets of Warrington on Christmas Day, swapping breakfast for a 35 mile”ultra marathon” to bring some festive cheer to children in hospital and even direct to their homes.
There won’t be any presents for kind hearted Mum Tracy Anne Halligan to open,as she begins her six-hour challenge, but she is planning to drop off gifts en route to worthy recipients.
Tracy, from Penketh, has started a justgiving page for cash donations and is appealing for local businesses to pledge prizes for a possible Christmas Eve raffle to raise further funds in support of Alder Hey and Warrington hospitals.
The 50-year-old, dubbed “Tinsel Tracy”,will be dressed in a specially made Mrs Christmas outfit and people can track her activities online via Facebook, starting between 5-6am.
She said: “Something like this I’ve wanted to do forever. “I kept thinking about it and one Sunday when I was having my dinner I thought, do you know what – I’m going to do it this year.If it’s a success I may do it every year.”
Tracy runs every day, on average 70 miles a week. She is a member of Warrington Running Club and GB Ultras.She’s completed two100 mile ultra marathons including one in support of her Mum who has cancer. Both took over 30 hours to finish!
She also runs for autism, inspired by her grandchildren.
“I am going to stay local and use my house as a check-point to stop and refuel and for any toilet breaks etc. It will be loops of around 10 miles. Depending on the weather it might be a 5am start and I should be finished around 6-7 hours later.”
She added: “I was going to run even further but I do want to see my family too and hopefully tuck into some turkey at some stage, even if ! miss the Queen’s speech!”
Tracy is not going to put herself under any pressure in terms of timings. She wants to enjoy a Christmas Day with a difference.
“I’m really excited about it. It will be a very rewarding experience. When I run I have a backpack with essential supplies and I’m thinking of dropping off a small gift to any worthy causes. It could be a child or a care home. Any suggestions are welcome.”
Donations are already beginning to come in. A hair salon has offered a “cut and blow” while gift vouchers have been promised elsewhere. A seamstress is making Tracy a unique Mrs Christmas outfit to run in – kindly donated too.
Tracy’s Justgiving page is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tracy-anne-halligan
Business donations can be made via [email protected]. #TinselTracy
Tracy Halligan
“Mrs Santa” to do 35-mile ultra marathon on Christmas Day
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