A REAL-life Mrs Santa Claus will again be running through the streets of Warrington on Christmas Day, to help combat loneliness and bring some festive cheer to children in hospital.
Tracy Halligan will be embarking on a 50k ultra marathon and is urging local people to join her on part of the route, or simply cheer her on.
Last year she raised thousands of pounds for Warrington and Liverpool hospitals and is now also planning to support charities for the elderly.
The 51-year-old, dubbed ‘Tinsel Tracy’, will be dressed in a specially made Mrs Christmas outfit. She has already run 4,000 miles this year and will be adding to that tally on December 25th- setting off at around 6am ahead of an epic seven hour challenge.
“Don’t be alone on Christmas Day is my message this year. It can be a tough time for many people and if anyone wants to come out and support me that would be great. I already have three people who will be running around 5k on part of the route.”
Tracy has started a justgiving page for cash donations here. She is also hoping for support from local businesses to sponsor her, or donate gifts that can be raffled.
“Last year was great fun and the feeling of achievement when I crossed the finish line will live with me forever,” she explained.
Tracy runs every day, on average 70 miles a week. She is a member of Warrington Running Club and GB Ultras. She’s completed two 100 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 start local around Penketh and Sankey like last year 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 as I head further across the town. Depending on the weather it might be a 5 or 6am start and I should be finished around seven hours later.”
She added: “I’m really excited about it. It will be a very rewarding experience. When I run I have a backpack with essential supplies to keep me going. It will be nice to run with a few other people too or just hear the cheers and car horns of well-wishers.
“Christmas is a magical time but it’s also a challenging time for some people too. If I can make people smile then it will all be worthwhile.”
