Our Story
Hello, I’m Rob Arnold and I own Chrysalis Fitness, in Telford. I specialise in run coaching, functional movement patterns and sports massage; all to alleviate pain, which, after 20 years in the military, I know something about.
In 2006, while I was in Afghanistan, I registered my interest in a race called the Marathon Des Sables. It’s a 150 mile self supported foot race through the Sahara Desert. I’d seen a programme about it and I liked the idea of the adventure and, also, the physical challenge. Such was the waiting list; it would be a while until I heard from the organisers.
So, forward to 2010 and I’m back in Afghanistan. After being out in a location all night, stepping over a roadside bomb that we didn’t know was there, unfortunately, the following morning a team member set it off and was killed instantly. There were a few other injuries but that was from shrapnel and bleeding in the ears caused by the blast. The young man killed had left behind a wife and a newborn baby.
A month later, I was back home on leave and I happened to get a call from the organisers of the Marathon Des Sables, offering me a place on the next race. As I wouldn’t be back until just before it, I was able to defer and postpone my entry to the following year.
While I was away, I read two books that would leave an impression on me. One was Born To Run – by Chris McDougal and the other was Jungle Soldier – about a second world war hero called Freddie Spencer Chapman, a man that constantly pushed his physical and mental abilities and became an inspiration to me.
I gave up drinking and smoking and trained for the next 10 months until the race. I scrapped money together to pay for the race and necessary equipment. I had a little help from friends and then campaigned for sponsorship to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund, a charity I knew would support the family of the colleague killed and many others like them.
In 2012, I ran 153 miles through the Sahara Desert in 43 hours and 40 minutes, over six stages. Since then, I’ve learned more about the body, movement, efficiency and recovery. I use these techniques myself and with clients for running being more mobile and enhancing daily life. It’s challenging but I think challenges are there to keep life interesting. If there was no challenge, it would be pretty boring.
Thanks for reading and if any of this resonates with you, please get in touch. Click on the ‘like’ button and leave a comment.
