Update 26th April 2010
Well, We both finished our first ever marathon. A truly amazing day and experience. Something that will be a treasured memory for a long time to come.
A massive thank you to all those who supported us on the day. It gave us a great lift to see you all around the course and great to hear that some of you were inspired enough and pledged to do it next year. We know who you are and we won't forget!
Jo finished in a fantastic 4hr 33 and Shaun a close(ish) second at 4hr 54.
Highlights of our run included, the 'pirate pub' at the 2 mile mark complete with 50 or so pirate patrons, being blessed by a priest outside his church with holy water at the three mile mark, the bands, music, constant support an offers of sweets, oranges and biscuits! from the 3 miles to the twelve, A DJ in a pink wig doing loud karaokee from his balcony flat. Overtaking Richard Branson, rounding the corner and seeing Tower Bridge 'the halfway point!', the noise at Canary Wharf, the crowds along the embankment, and finally, finally rounding the corner and seeing the finishing line. The 'ordeal' was over.
Update 21st April 2010
OMG!!! The marathon is duly here - and what is this I hear about 19 degrees and sunshine! Surely we deserve a few clouds in the sky and the temperature a little cooler! Very nice for you the spectators mind - if you can come and support that would be great, look out for the brightly coloured vests as pictured! For those of you who will be making your way to the finish we will come and meet you at letter F. This is located in the runners meet and greet area in Horse Guards Parade.
We are both looking forward it, in a nervous and excited kind of way! We have both done the training and invested soooo much time that we also hope to have an enjoyable and a pain free day (if that is possible)!!!
Thank you for all your support - it has certainly been our driver to keep that training up over what has been some very cold and rainy training runs - oh and not forgetting the snow! But of course the money you have raised for us is really going to help actual communities around the world.
So a big thank you to you all!
Update 16th March 2010
We have now both completed half Marathon races and recorded 'chip' times of 2.02 hrs and 2.03hrs. Amazingly close times considering we ran separate races as noted below.
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Update 5th March 2010
Thank you for visiting Jo’s and Shaun’s just giving page. We guess if you have made it this far then you are about to sponsor one or both of us so we thank you!Training is now well underway and we are both up to the 15 / 16 mile mark in our long training runs. I (Shaun) am running my first competitive race this Sunday in the Half and Jo is running next Sunday in the Silverstone Half. This will give us a good indication if we are on for our sub 4.30 hrs target for the marathon. We will let you know our times!
So thank you again for helping us raise funds for Oxfam.
Oxfam are an amazing charity doing so much good around the world. As well as development work around the world, Oxfam are also among the first to respond to emergencies and are currently providing emergency aid in & following the recent earthquakes.
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Thanks for taking the time to visit Bezza & Shaun's JustGiving page. So why have we chosen to run 26.2 miles in the 2010 Virgin London Marathon for Oxfam?! Well we are asking ourselves the same question as the cold, rainy & miserable nights close in!
Well, like most good ideas it started in a pub and by the end of the night we had convinced each other is was a great idea!! To be honest it has always been a personal goal of ours and you can only keep putting it off for so many years! We also thought it would be a good idea to combine our fundraising efforts and to keep each other motivated over the dark cold winter months of training.
Training is underway albeit in the early stages. We will keep you posted on our progress from time to time on this website. However having never run further than 10 miles in the Great South Run several years ago we really do need your support in achieving our goal! We are both planning (currently!) to run the marathon sub 4.30hrs but we will update this as our training plans evolve!
Why Oxfam?
Oxfam initiated their emergency response to the major earthquake that has struck Haiti, just ten miles from the capital Port-au-Prince. Oxfam is rushing in teams and sending supplies such as ten tonnes of water, sanitation, health and shelter equipment to the areas where needed most.
East – Currently 23 million people are facing critical shortages of water and food following successive years of failed rains & worsening drought. Oxfam is providing support to 750,000 of the worst affected through various projects.
Earthquake – 500,000 made homeless & 55 health facilities destroyed. Oxfam is placing immediate priority on delivering clean water and shelter to the most vulnerable.
Typhoon Ketsana – On the 29 September Typhoon Ketsana hit causing widespread damage in and the . Oxfam is providing support to 150,000 of the worst affected people.
Please do take time to visit their website to find out more about the projects Oxfam are involved in, as it is not always about responding to emergencies. They also develop and work in partnership with communities to implement projects that will assist the people to become in charge of their own lives and livelihoods – something we all take for granted.
So please please give generously, you can be assured that every penny you give will help someone and will make a difference. As well as supporting an amazing charity, your donations no matter how big or small will help us pull on our trainers when it seems easier not to!
For those of you who have run a marathon before you will know the commitment we have undertaken, for those of you who have not we will be earning your sponsorship big time!!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails.
