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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I will keep this short and sweet (just like me!). I am running my first ever marathon this year and raising money for Goalball UK and am very very excited. I am also running this marathon In Memory of Buddy xxx  The furthest i had ever run before starting the training was 10 miles over 16 years ago (that make me feel really old)!!! I am now up to 16 miles and loving it! Anyway, i would love it if you would be so kind as to sponsor me for doing this run for a very worthy cause. For those of you that are unaware of what Goalball UK is, here is a snippet from the website. <h1>An Introduction to Goalball</h1> Goalball was originally developed by Hanz Lorenzen (Austria) and Sepp Reindl (Germany) in 1946, as a rehabilitation programme for visually impaired World War II veterans. Within the next few decades goalball evolved into a competitive sport, and was featured as a demonstration sport at the 1976 Montreal Summer Paralympic Games.  The success of this led to the first goalball world championships being held in Austria in 1978, before it was officially included within the Paralympic movement in the 1980 Summer Games in Arnhem and thereafter. Goalball is a game played by two teams of three players with a maximum of three substitutions on each team.  It is open to both male and female visually impaired athletes,  and sighted players can also play domestically.  It has three main distinguishing features:- 1.    All players wear eyeshades so that they are totally blindfolded 2.    Goalball is played on an indoor court that is 18m long and 9m wide.  The court has tactile markings (string that is taped to the floor), which helps players determine where they are 3.    The ball contains internal bells, which help players locate it during play. The object of the game is to score a goal by bowling the ball along the floor so that it crosses the goal line of the opposing team. The defending team has to prevent the ball going in to their goal by stopping it while remaining in their team area.  They must then try to control the ball and attack by bowling the ball back again thereby trying to score in the other goal. As some of you know, I work for the MOD so the following bit of news from the Goalball UK website came of great interest to me. Hero Soldier Paul Jacobs (George Medal) becomes Goalball Patron <div>Rifleman Paul Jacobs (22) blinded by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Afghanistan, and awarded the George Medal for his outstanding courage and action, has become our Patron.</div> <div> </div> <div>Paul has stated: "I have been determined to overcome all the hurdles caused by my injuries and with the help of Goalball I can participate in a great team sport environment. I only see opportunities not obstacles and I think I can really make a significant difference to the profile of Goalball as well as encourage other individuals who have lost their sight."</div> <div> </div> <div>Goalball CEO, Mike Reilly notes: "Paul Jacob's involvement in Goalball is wonderful and inspirational to our sport. He will certainly help us raise the profile of Goalball in the UK and hopefully help us attract some additional funding and support. He is a truly motivational young man, whose courage and humour make him a role model. He does not understand the meaning of the word defeat and throws himself into everything. We are honoured and proud that he has agreed to become our Patron."</div> <div> </div>

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