WARRINGTON’S real-life Mrs Santa Claus ‘Tinsel’ Tracy Halligan successfully completed a Christmas Day ultra marathon, to help combat loneliness and bring some festive cheer to children in hospital.
Tracy from Penketh spent over six hours running 50k through the streets of Warrington, beginning at 5am in the morning! She has so far raised hundreds of pounds for children in Alder Hey hospital, with donations still coming in.
Tracy was joined by several other runners for parts of the route after she began from her home – supported by lots of cheers from well-wishers, car horns and a deluge of messages on social media.
The 51-year-old, dubbed ‘Tinsel Tracy’, was dressed in a specially made Mrs Christmas outfit. She has already run 4,000 miles this year and enjoyed a well-earned Christmas Day dinner after her latest epic challenge.
“Don’t be alone on Christmas Day was my message this year and it was nice to have a few other runners with me for parts of the route,” she explained. “I got up at about 3.30am and began 90 minutes later.
“I did a similar event last year and again saw the sun rise which was fantastic. It wasn’t as cold this time and I finished just before midday after a few breaks in between.”
Tracy runs every day and is a member of Warrington Running Club and GB Ultras. She added: “I was crying when I crossed the finish line. It was such a lovely feeling and very rewarding and emotional. The first thing I did afterwards was read through some of the many messages on my phone whilst stood by a radiator for about half an hour to warm up. I then jumped into a hot bath.”
Tracy emphasised: “Christmas is a magical time but it’s also a challenging time for some people too. If I made people smile then it was all worthwhile. I’ve been blown away by all the support and will definitely be doing it again next year, even bigger and better. A big thank you to everyone who has supported me.” She has a justgiving page for donations here. Tracy ended the day by having a meal at a restaurant in Stockton Heath with her boyfriend, as she concluded: “It was the perfect end to a perfect day!”
