"Mad runner" Harry Fraser to compete in the 2024 Canalslam; 3 ultra distance canal races, to raise money for Mission Motorsport.
Harry Fisher (left) with MM beneficiary & employee Andy Fisher
Harry Fraser, owner of Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery and avid supporter of Mission Motorsport to run 386 miles in the upcoming Canalslam raising vital funds for Mission Motorsport
Harry Fraser, of Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery, a specialist upholstery company based at Bicester Heritage is running the gruelling Canalslam race series in a bid to raise £3,000 for Mission Motorsport. The three ultra marathons he plans to compete in include:
The Grand Union Canal Race
The Warwickshire Ring 111 mile Canal Race
The Leeds & Liverpool 130mil Canal Race
An avid supporter of Mission Motorsport, Harry’s company signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2021, and he not only employs former servicemen and women but provides training opportunities for those wanting to learn the upholstery trade.
Harry’s first race is the Grand Union Canal Race on 25th May 2024 and will see him run a mammoth distance of 145 miles. Setting off from little Venice in the heart of London and finishing at Gas Street Basin in the Centre of Birmingham, Harry will run the entire waymarked Grand Union Canal Towpath. Throughout the race, all competitors must make it to checkpoints by cut-off times and must run solo for the first 75 miles. After runners meet the 75 mile checkpoint, “buddy” runners are invited to run alongside them providing them with encouragement, support and a morale boost, something that will spur him on as the race continues long into the night.
Talking about his fundraising challenge, Harry said, “I believe that we have a duty of care to those people when they come home after seeing and living through sometimes horrific experiences.
“Mission Motorsport is a charity that provides the structure of care and rehabilitation to get people back into work within the motorsport arena and we have benefited from this. It’s my way of giving back.”
Not content with running one ultra marathon, Harry will participate in two further races; a slightly shorter distance of 111 miles in the Warwickshire Ring 111 mile Canal Race on June 29th before completing his third and final race, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal 130 mile race on 24th August.
Support Harry
Not for the faint-hearted, these Ultra Marathons are not only going to challenge Harry physically but mentally too. It would be fantastic to see MM beneficiaries, the very people he is raising funds for, to show him some support and join him at different stages of the race.
If you can support Harry as a buddy runner between Cosgrove Village Hall (MK19 7JH) and the finish point at Gas Street, Birmingham (B1 2DS) please contact Charlotte at cw@missionmotorsport.org.
If you can’t run but would like to support Harry, he is raising money through his Just Giving page. You can donate here: