Athlete's challenge to deliver Women's Rugby World Cup whistle

BBC News

23-07-2025

A wheelchair athlete is attempting to set a brand new world record by completing 10 ultramarathons in 10 days.Lexi Chambers, from Exeter, will use her standard everyday wheelchair to travel from Twickenham to Sunderland and deliver the match whistle for the opening game of the Women's Rugby World Cup on the 22 August.She said: "It's quite overwhelming for a huge women's rugby fan. There couldn't be a bigger honour and I'm just absolutely completely gobsmacked that they chose me to do it... I just hope I do them proud."She said she was "having to start a new world record" as no-one had set it before.
'Never give up'
Ms Chambers said: "An ultra marathon is anything over a marathon distance. "The general accepted distance is about 50km (31 miles), so I'm actually going to be doing just over 50km every single day."Ms Chambers has fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome - with the latter resulting in her leg being amputated."You do get tough days when you're in pain all the time, you get days when you're low. If you remember 'never give up' it gets you through."She said when completed this would be her sixth world record."They [the records] are amazing... they do mean quite a lot to me. "They help me show people what they can achieve too."
A Guinness World Records spokesperson said: "Lexi's the only woman we know of who has hit such incredible milestones using a non-racing wheelchair."During the challenges, Ms Chambers said: "Everything hurts to be honest, even though I don't use my legs obviously, even they hurt, which is quite bizarre. "I think the obvious places are things like my shoulders, my chest actually gets a lot of work because you're leaning forward quite a lot."But yeah, my whole body ends up hurting after 50km. But you don't stop, you just want to keep doing more."
'Close to my heart'
The Guinness spokesperson added: "There's no existing record under the title "most ultramarathon distances completed in a non-racing wheelchair in one week". "It's not a category we've monitored previously, but the application has been submitted to be processed [by Lexi].Ms Chambers said: "Although I'm doing 10 ultramarathons in 10 days, they actually have certain time frames that you're allowed to do a record in. "So for the actual record purpose it's going to be most completed in seven days."Ms Chambers is raising money for the ChildFund Rugby charity.She said the charity was "really close to my heart" and helps children get into rugby and provides them with life skills.