Lexi Chambers ‘End2End’ Challenge on behalf of Exeter Chiefs Foundation

Charity campaigner Lexi Chambers will be using her standard wheelchair to wheel from John O’Groats to Lands’ End to raise money for Exeter Chiefs Foundation and the Aaron Lewis Foundation.

During the 1,400km journey – which works out at approximately a marathon a day – the 4x World Record Holder, Army veteran and ex nurse hopes to showcase the positive qualities of women’s rugby.

The display of sheer grit and human spirit will be an intense one for Chambers who is a below knee amputee facing three chronic pain conditions – CRPS, Fibromyalgia and nerve issues – which will make her feat even more impressive.

“Essentially the challenge is a rugby relay that I’m aiming to complete in roughly 45 days – so it’ll be just over a marathon a day.

“The are a couple of different reasons that brought the idea behind the challenge to fruition. The first is to raise money for the amazing charities – Exeter Chiefs Foundation help people in the community to get involved in sport, and the Chiefs are a massive inspiration for me, especially the women. That’s where the second part comes in – we’re hoping to spread information on the women’s game.

“For lots of people, it’s more than just a game. Rugby can become a lifestyle and an inspiration. For me, when I see the women on the field each week – with their bloody noses, looking exhausted or covered in mud – they just keep on going. So, when I’m having a tough day in training, that’s what inspires me to keep going.”

An integral part of Lexi’s challenge is her preparation before the event. Training has been an intense process of gradually building up to marathon distances then progressively bringing each marathon-style training day closer together to begin to emulate the daily trials she will face during her challenge.

“It’s almost impossible to prepare for something on this scale and of this magnitude. I’ve done marathon distances before, so I’m preparing similarly. The idea is to be right at the peak of my fitness just before the challenge. I’m working on getting my strength and endurance up, for getting me up those hills I’ll face.”

Exeter Chiefs’ strength and conditioning department have had an important impact upon Lexi’s training regime as they have provided nutritional supplements and gels from SiS [Science in Sport].

“It’s been incredible. All throughout my training, I’ve used gels and protein powders as when you’re doing endurance sport it’s imperative to keep your glycogen levels as high as possible especially when I’m using such small muscle groups to keep myself going.”

Everyone at Exeter Rugby Club and the Chiefs Foundation wishes Lexi every success with her challenge and give her our full support.