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Landmine victim to tackle Parish Walk
AN army veteran who lost a leg and an arm in a landmine explosion is to take part in the Parish Walk raising money for a Manx charity.
Former army officer Chris Moon MBE was working for a charity clearing landmines in Mozambique in 1995 when he stepped on a live mine and the blast ripped off his lower right arm and leg.
Doctors say he survived against the odds because of his determination and fitness.
Within a year of leaving hospital he successfully completed the London Marathon.
He's now done numerous marathons and many of the world's toughest ultra-marathons including the Great Sahara Run and Badwater, a 135-mile continuous ultra-marathon through Death Valley in the USA.
He's taken parties to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and run the length of Cambodia to raise funds for charities assisting the disabled.
Chris is one of the few westerners to have survived kidnap by the Khmer Rouge guerillas in Cambodia.
His numerous media appearances include the Parkinson Show and his autobiography One Step Beyond is published by Macmillian.
But even with such a remarkable life history Chris is apprehensive about the 85-mile Parish Walk.
'It's a difficult challenge, not so much for the distance but because you have to do it in 24 hours,' says Chris, who now lives in Scotland.
'I first heard about it when I visited the Island eight years ago and got talking to Tony Brown, who is now Chief Minister.
'I can't say with any degree of certainty that I will finish.'
Chris will be trying out a new prosthetic leg for the event.
Since he lost his leg he has a best marathon time of four hours 11 minutes but the extra distance of the Parish Walk will prove difficult he says.
The major limiting factor for Chris is the speed at which he will have to walk for 24 hours and the action of walking with a prosthetic limb causes his stump to swell up and blister.
As well as taking part in the Parish Walk on June 21 he will give a talk at the Manx Museum on June 19 beginning at 6.30pm.
Crossroads Caring For Carers Executive Assistant Nicola Libreri said the charity was delighted that Chris was helping them to raise funds.
'We're ecstatic that Chris is taking part in the Parish Walk for us,' she said.
'And we are also looking forward to Chris's talk, he's had a really interesting life.'
Chris is now regarded as one of Britain's most inspiring public speakers and for the last decade has been giving talks about motivation and leadership.
Tickets for Chris's talk are available from the Crossroads Caring For Carers charity shop on Prospect Terrace or by phoning Nicola Libreri on 673138.
To find out more about Chris Moon visit his website www.chrismoon.co.uk
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Weather for Isle of Man
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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Temperature: 1 C to 7 C
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