Marathon Update

I completed my 6th London Marathon in a time of 3h38m!  It was an incredible atmosphere and the crowd cheering was deafening sometimes - which just helped lift me during the race.   I was very pleased with how I ran the day, although not a pb (3h20), I managed to stick pretty close to my target race plan (3h35m) and avoid the dreaded cramps which have plagued me in nearly all previous marathons. 

There was also a lot of fun with the runners.  I was running with a guy carrying a golf club and in full golfing costume and see that he set the world record for the fastest golfer in a marathon.  Also there was a double amputee on "blades" that flew past me at about the 24 mile mark and I spoke to him at the end and he had run 17 marathons - incredible effort.  At the end, not to be outdone by superman at the finish line, I  even managed a little sprint at the finish to just pip him to the post.

A huge thanks for all the generous donations that everyone has given, especially those who have supported me and the Royal London Society for the Blind over the years.  We both really appreciate it and I am sure the money will get put to very good use. 

Hobbling a bit now but well worth it.

Regards Harvey.

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This will be my 6th London Marathon, which I am running to raise funds for the Royal London Society for the Blind. The RLSB is a fantastic organisation whose aim is to remove barriers for the blind.

Just one month after finishing the 2008 London Marathon, I was told I would have to have major shoulder surgery (my second operation) after a nasty mountain biking accident in 2007. This stopped me in my tracks for a long time, and simple things I took for granted suddenly became a challenge.   

When compared with the constant daily challenge a visually impaired person goes through - things feel insignificant.  My grandmother was blind for the latter part of her life & it was inspiring to see her determination to lead an active life within the local community.

I am luckily well on the road to recovery and have run over 1,800km (1120 miles) in the last 10 months - the equivalent of running from London to Gibraltar!!   Your generous support of my past marathons has raised over £16,000 for the Royal London Society for the Blind - thank you for those who have supported me to date! This year I would love to raise over £5,000 for the RLSB.

Your sponsorship would be very much appreciated by the RLSB and myself, they have so many fantastic projects going on, and these sponsorship funds will get put to very good use.  One project that I was recently invited to participate in was the official opening of Hollybank Farm. The farm has been set up in the RLSB grounds with the idea to run it as business, with blind children involved in all parts of running it.  I spoke to the highly motivated farm manager who saw this as a huge personal challenge for him - he had set up farms before, but had never worked with blind children.  He saw this as wonderful opportunity to involve the children and could see that he was going to make a good go of it.  For more examples and for further information on the RLSB see http://www.rlsb.org.uk/. 

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Royal London Society for the Blind will receive your money faster and, if you are a taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Please sponsor me now + many thanks for your support!

Regards,

Harvey