A man who was training for the London Marathon while carrying a refrigerator on his back has told how he was stopped by police who suspected he had stolen the refrigerator.
Daniel Fairbrother was stopped by a police officer in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, while training to break the world record for the fastest white goods marathon.
He told the BBC that officers quickly realized he hadn’t stolen anything and the interaction ended with a handshake.
Mr Fairbrother said he was on the run for the second time in April carrying a fridge to raise money for Diabetes UK when he noticed a police car swerving.
He said: “They turned on their blue lights, blocked traffic, and stopped me to find out what the hell was going on. Naturally, they’d never seen anything like it before. did.
“One officer rolled down his window and said, ‘You know we have to stop you. Is that a refrigerator in your back?’
After Fairbrother explained his 46-mile challenge, the officer joked, “Did you know you can order from Curry’s and they’ll deliver it to you?”
The runner carrying the refrigerator said he was embarrassed, but added that he didn’t care at all.
He added: “I expect the police to do their job and check on people running around with refrigerators. They won’t get annoyed if they get pulled over 10 more times.”
Ms Fairbrother is aiming to raise money for Diabetes UK to support her best friend Sam, who has type 1 diabetes. “I tried last year, but it didn’t go as planned. I vowed to come back bigger and stronger,” he said.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police told the BBC: “We would like to wish Daniel every success in his marathon training.”
Fairbrother named his refrigerator Talulah, after the bobsledder from the movie Cool Runnings.