Watch the video of the flipper walker below.
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Craig Keatley is being called the world’s only flipper walker after he took the eeriest challenge to raise funds for Manchester’s Christie Cancer Hospital.
The Manchester-based civil servant himself described the activity to be brutal after he wore the swimming appendages to walk the streets.
The training has already left him with bunions and he still has to go a long way to achieve what he’s after.
“It’s possibly the most painful thing you can do – it’s not good for your feet,” the father-of-two said while talking about the strange fundraiser he’s running.
“Flippers aren’t designed for walking in. That’s why I’m the world’s only one.”
The 49-year-old got the idea from an event in the early ’90s when he wore the footwear in question to a beach-themed party at a Manchester bar.Since the start of his campaign, he’s been the subject of a number of viral videos in which he can be seen ‘flipping’ across Manchester for the noble cause.
Craig has got support from the whole city and people are more helpful to him than he had even imagined. However, his family, including wife Joanne and kids Harriet and Harrison, thinks he’s gone crazy.
“Some people are in shock and disbelief and you just have to engage and say ‘morning’, while others don’t want to give you eye contact,” he said.
“My kids let their dad do his thing. They support me, they come and see me at the end.
“I’ve tried to get them in the flippers but they’ve said no. They know when I get something in my mind, I’ll just do it because I’m an independent guy.”
Craig aims to raise around $7,300 by walking a whopping 31 miles from Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, to Old Trafford, Manchester.
He decided to raise money for the cancer hospital after his friend and former boss John Pagan was treated for cancer in the hospital.
The kind staff at the hospital helped John have his last days as memorable as possible before he died in May 2018.
Speaking of his challenge, Craig said: “It’s a challenge and created a bit of a buzz.
“It was a mid-life crisis idea, but I do it for the fun factor and raising money for The Christie. It is serious, but you do need that element of a bit of a laugh.
“It’s the most engaging thing you can do. It’s what John wanted for his family, he wanted to live longer. The hospital are fantastic, it is about the patient but it is also about supporting the family and that is what they do.
“The support I’ve had is humbling. I go through hell but the support is amazing.”
Craig recently carried out a coast-to-coast walk in flippers starting from Withernsea, Yorkshire, to Liverpool and raised around $6,000 for the hospital.
It is worth noting that after his upcoming challenge, the bunions will make it impossible for Craig to walk in the flippers again – but his spirits are so high that nothing can stop him from completing the challenge.
“I like to challenge myself, I’ve gone through life to almost 50 and it’s just gone so quickly,” Craig said.
“I’m thinking ‘what have I done’ so I want to keep myself in shape and keep healthy. There are a lot of people who go through bad things like cancer so I want to do my bit to help.”