Man Running Around Carrying 25kg Refrigerator... Why Police Shook Hands and Let Him Go

Training to Raise Donations for Police, Police Leave After Handshake Upon Hearing the Story

A man carrying a refrigerator on his back while running on a road late at night in a village in the UK was caught by the police. Although he was mistaken for a refrigerator thief, police confirmed that the man was actually training for a marathon to raise donations for diabetes patients. On the 29th (local time), BBC, The Guardian, and others reported that on the 7th, police caught Daniel Fairbrother (34) running on a road in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, north of London, carrying a refrigerator on his back.

At the time, Daniel was running on the road with a refrigerator weighing about 27.5 kg on his back and the headlights turned on.
[Photo by BBC]

When the police stopped him, Daniel was running beside the road with a headlamp on. He was carrying a refrigerator weighing about 25kg on his back. When asked by the police, "What are you doing?" Daniel replied, "I am training to participate in the London Marathon." In an interview with The Independent, he recalled the moment he was caught by the police, saying, "My face turned red and I was embarrassed," and "I was worried the police might think I stole the refrigerator." That day was the second day since he started running while carrying the refrigerator.

Carrying a Refrigerator for a 15-Year Friend with Diabetes

The reason Daniel is running while carrying a refrigerator is to participate in the London Marathon held in April. Daniel plans to challenge the record for the "fastest marathon run while carrying a household appliance." The existing record is 4 hours and 52 minutes, held by British soldier Sam Hammond. Daniel took on this challenge to raise donations for the treatment of type 1 diabetes patients.

He said, "I hope running while carrying a refrigerator will help raise 10,000 pounds," adding, "This is also to support my friend Sam, who has type 1 diabetes." He continued, "I am not a doctor, so I cannot offer a solution, but I can support their medical expenses in this way," and "I tried to take on this challenge last year but it didn’t go as planned, so I promised to come back bigger and stronger."

A fan of the movie Cool Runnings, Daniel named the refrigerator "Talula" after the sled used by the Jamaican bobsleigh team in the film. His goal is to raise 10,000 pounds (about 16.9 million won) for the UK Diabetes Association. So far, he has successfully raised 4,284 pounds (about 7.25 million won) of the 10,000 pounds. After hearing Daniel’s story, the police shook his hand and cheered him on. A Hertfordshire police official told the BBC, "We hope Daniel does his best in marathon training," wishing him good luck.