 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
| 36 Hours Martial Arts Marathon - World Record Attempt |
| At 8am on Friday 21st November 2008, the Greater Manchester Police Karate Team embarked on a martial arts marathon that would take them through to 8pm the following day, Saturday 22nd November. A full 36hrs training with only a 5-minute break allowed for every hour trained!
The event was being held to raise money and awareness of the charity CLIC Sargent, which helps children who have been diagnosed with cancer. It was also a Guinness World Record attempt to break the current record of 24hrs. The events organisers, Inspector Melita Worswick and Sergeant Stuart Charlesworth, both participated in the event from the beginning, along with 8 other participants. The event was started by GMP’s Assistant Chief Constable Sweeney who started the countdown clock on the Friday morning. On the second day, the Forces Chief Constable Peter Fahy attended and spent time with the participants and had his photograph taken with the team. Of the ten participants, eight made it through the 36hrs. The team were helped by a number of different martial arts instructors who came down from different parts of the country, to teach at various times of the day and night. They were from a variety of martial arts backgrounds including karate, tae kwon do, kung fu, MMA, jiu jitsu, kali and kickboxing. Andy Morrell (C.M.A.A.) took two sessions over the two days and was kind enough to move the location of his ‘kicking and flexibility course’ to the event venue to support the participants. He also donated ALL of his course fees to the charity on the day. The team were also helped through the event by a number of sports physios who provided round the clock massages for the weary participants. They received support throughout the event from stewards and witnesses, and also from kids in the local community who came down and joined in with the training. Andy Morrell and Sensei Steve O’Driscoll played a major role in both the organising and running of the event. Both Melita and Stuart would like to say a special thanks to both and have said that without them, the event may not have even gone ahead. The organisers are hoping to raise about £2500 from the event through donations and an Ebay auction site with donated items. Sensei Kanazawa (Shotokan Karate) was kind enough to sign a new karate GI which was auctioned to raise money for the charity. This sold on Ebay for £41. The team has a Just Giving website that is still open if you would like to make a donation, which is http://www.justgiving.com/gmpmartialartsclub The team is now waiting for the record to be verified by Guinness, and hope to have confirmation in the New Year. The successful participants were:- 'Sergeant' Stuart Charlesworth, 'Inspector' Melita Worswick, 'Inspector' Steve Palmer, 'Detective' Chris Gill, 'PSCO' Wayne Turley, Stuart Kennedy, Dave Smith, Craig Reid The instructors over the two days were:- Andy Morrell (Cobra Martial Arts), Jason Olsen (Shukokai Karate), John Titley (Shotokan Karate), Alan Titley (Shotokan Karate), Adam Beniston (WTF Tae Kwon Do), Neil Hall, Billy Glossop, Phil Ounsley, Martin Rollinson (MMA), Steve Campbell (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Steve O’Driscoll (Shotokan Karate), Mahender Patel (Kali), John Salt, Steven Salt, Dave Morris (Elite Int. Martial Arts), Paul McKenzie (Shotokan Karate), Mark Kemp / Pete Singleton (Shin Ga Do), Bill Hayes (Kickboxing), Sylvan Clarke / Stevie Coldwell (Kung Fu), Steve Hallam (Kickboxing) MORE PHOTOS CAN BE SEEN ON THE PHOTO GALLERY BY USING THE LINK AT THE TOP. |