Aged 12 Ellis was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma which is the most common form of bone cancer. Just one month after her 16th Birthday, Ellis lost her battle against this disease.
In 2011 in the name of Charity and in memory of a wonderful girl named Ellis , Darren and Gareth will be embarking on a triple Endurance quest of epic proportions.....
Darren
Next year I have decided to take on my own personal Triathlon. I intend to carry my large frame around the Tough guy 2011 (Braveheart II) in January with a group of friends www.justgiving.com/maniacsgoback, The London Marathon in April and then finally the London Triathlon (Olympic distance) in July. I have previously taken part in the Marathon and Triathlon but never in the same year and the tough guy is something totally new. Some will call me mad some will say it’s a mid life crisis but it is all for a great cause and im looking to raise more than I have ever done before for my hard work and effort.
Gareth
The conversation went something like this.....
Darren - "I'm going to do the London Marathon this year to raise money for Ellis and the related charities, do you fancy it?"
Gareth - "Awesome, i'm definately up for that. A fantastic cause and one close to my heart. I might make it harder on myself by trying to run sub 3 hours"
Gareth- "Actually, why don't we make it even tougher by doing the London Triathlon as well?"
Darren - "Wow, ok that works for me...a big challenge but i'm up for it"
24 hours later.....
Darren - "We're going to do the 'Tough Guy' as well"
Gareth - "Are we? Ok I'm in....errr what's a 'Tough Guy' then?
Darren - "You run 10 miles, in a field, in Wolverhampton, in January."
Gareth - "Right, ok. Good training for the Marathon by the sounds of it"
Darren - "You have to swim through freezing cowmuck, climb 30ft obstacles, get burn't by flaming straw bales, zapped by electric fence wires and crawl through submerged sewer pipes. There's a risk of broken bones/Hypothermia and you have to sign a death waiver"
Gareth - ".......How's the wife and kids mate?"
I was shocked, I'm still in shock.
We both intend to train ourselves into the ground in an attempt to meet this triple challenge and raise funds in memory of Ellis Harriet Clark. If we emerge unscathed the other side all the better ! Regular updates on our progress will be blogged......
Ellis Harriet Clark (cousin to some of my dearest friends) was 3 when I first accompanied their family on a summer holiday. Fast forward through many more holidays and good times spent in the company of my friends (and their family) and Ellis was the little girl that was always around....and more importantly always fun to have around. I now have two daughters myself aged 4 and 6. Their boundless energy and happy carefree manner are a reminder of that bubbly young lady I first met all those years ago. I know they would have loved Ellis and she'd have loved them too.
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