Marathons, Triathlons and Whatever It Takes To Help The Congo

Status: "Four marathons down and I’ve lost another toenail. I’ve already lost this one once (actually 6 in total). Oh well, Edinburgh Marathon in just under 2 weeks." Accompanying these rather disturbing words on Chris Jackson’s Facebook page following the London marathon is a photo of the aforementioned deformity next to another toenail seemingly destined for an equally distressing fate.

Things haven't let up for Chris Jackson on his quest to run 12 marathons in 12 months. His motivation behind the 12X12 Challenge is to raise money for Amnesty International and specifically to raise awareness of the ongoing atrocities in the Congo. His energy is mind-boggling and still, every time I check in with him, he’s added more to his agenda — it stretches far beyond a few measly marathons. "Basically, people say 'Chris, do you fancy doing this?' And I say, 'yes'!"

Apart from the twelve scheduled marathons, he's throwing in triathlons, ultra-marathons, adventure runs, a run spanning the distance of Hadrian’s wall in 24 hours (the Roman fortification that stretches across 73.5 miles in Northern England), cycling the battlefields of WWI and the pièce de résistance: one marathon will be run through the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most dangerous places in the world.

He ran the Edinburgh marathon on May 23, a week after placing 11th out of 1000 in an extreme off-trail adventure run, and days after the passing of his grandfather. "Going into the race I had barely slept or eaten but I was determined to make him proud." The day he died, Jackson asked his grandfather how quickly he wanted him to run and he told him under 3 hours 23 minutes. He must have been trying to keep the pressure off his grandson who's been running under two hour marathons for months now; getting faster with each race. "I didn't care as long as I beat that time for him. As hard as it was, I didn't want to stop or slow down." Chris revealed that he rehearsed his grandfather's eulogy as he ran and came in at 2 hours 56 minutes. Not a personal best but considering what he's packed into the last few months, it's quite remarkable.

Jackson’s extensive plans stem from his belief that "people are always raising money for charity and to make this different, I had to do something that would make people take note of the crisis in the DRC." After he entered the London marathon, he thought "this isn’t tough enough, I need to do more." So he decided to do a marathon a month — at least.

This just in. Chris has entered a competition to win a spot in the Eurostar Tri-City-Athlon. The first ever triathlon event across three cities in one day. It begins with a swim in Paris, bike in Brussels and run in London. Merely entering however doesn’t secure a spot in the race — he’s going to need your help. Chris has posted his entry on the website stating why he “deserves” to participate and now it’s up to you, the general public to vote for him (before June 9) and subsequently make a vote for the people of the Congo. The 50 most popular entries will go to round two where judges will then pick the final 20 winners on June 23. The race itself takes place September 14, 2010 (a month after his jogging tour of the Congo).

Chris has made a point of always setting a challenge for himself every year so that he can look back and feel like he’s really achieved something. "I think there is a danger of letting the years role by without anything to show for it," he says. "I intend to build on it year after year."

A lobbyist in London, with Cicero Consulting, Chris spent his formative years studying and working in Africa. His interest in the DRC stems from his academic studies where he spent time researching the impact of sexual violence on development. "The research I conducted for this paper brought to light the day to day horrors that men, women and children faced in that region," he tells Tonic. "I wanted to be able to see for myself what it was like over there. I was tired of reading second-hand accounts, I think part of me didn’t actually believe such a place could exist — it needed to be seen to be believed for me."

"The way I see it, is if people can live through the crisis in the DRC then why can’t I run 26.2 miles every month? I’m not going to give up, I can’t give up," he says.

Chris had previously worked in Uganda, organizing development programs, and Peru, where he thought he had seen the extremes of poverty. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw in the DRC. Poignantly, he recalls the street signs unique to the DRC yet ubiquitous in the country. "I’m used to signs saying 'old people crossing the road,'" he says, "not 'rape is bad and should not be condoned.'"

In terms of promoting his fundraising efforts, Chris is using social media, word of mouth and basically telling as many people as possible about what he’s doing. He sends an email round after every race to say thanks for people’s support and informs them about how he did and what’s in store next.

Before the London marathon, Chris had invited supporters to join him post-race at a London pub to celebrate, announcing that his credit card would be “behind the bar." "As much as I tried to buy drinks for everyone, no one would let me!" he says with a laugh. "I was supported the whole way around by the people of London and that was a great feeling."

Chris just happened to post a personal best in London.

He’s also been speaking with Women for Women International and Congo Now to find ways to support their efforts to inform the government in the UK about what they should do in the DRC.  He will be supporting the first UK Run for Congo Women race on the July 3.

Chris’s plans include making a short documentary about his run in the Congo, visiting projects and speaking to people so that when he gets back to the UK he can create a small series of YouTube videos he hopes will clearly explain to people his devotion to the Congo cause.

Chris admits he was never "the fittest person” when he was younger. "Over time, I’ve found running to be a great release and it's given me the chance to think about problems that I’m faced with," he says. "Some of my best ideas come when I’m running, so I suppose it is important that I keep it up."

So far the ideas have been pretty astounding. Who knows what he’ll come up with after another few hundred miles?

This weekend, Chris will be squeezing in another triathlon (in Blenheim, England) a week before his sixth marathon in South Downs, England.

In a blog Chris writes, "From my darkest moments in DRC to my decision to run 12 marathons in 12 months, something has snapped in me which now fuels my energy and sense of adventure. It is as if a mental block has been removed; nothing is too far, too hard or even impossible. That is my cocky side coming through again but I feel invincible and free. When you can feel your body screaming at you to stop running, see blood oozing through your trainers and you can ignore that and carry on running, then you can draw on untold reserves of strength and confidence. When you feel that anything is achievable then you are no longer shackled by the constraints of day to day life."

For the unstoppable Chris Jackson, it truly seems there is no finish line.

Photos 1, 2, 3 by Phil O'Connor, photo 4 by andré thiel via Flickr.