Mark Savill
Mark Savill: Cornish Marathon
Fundraising for Headway Bristol Brain Injury Association Limited
Story
We did it!!
I managed to finish the race in a reasonable time without injury! We were expecting to be at least 6 and a half hours but I did a time of 5:47 which was about 75th (out of 117!). Parts of the course were very difficult with steep slopes and areas where you had to jump over rocks to get along the path, but the scenery was beautiful, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
I have put a few photos of me and my friends going round the course so you can get an idea of the terrain we faced.
A huge thanks to everyone who has sponsored and supported me - I am delighted with the amount raised for Headway - it definitely helped me keep going.
The Event
As part of the firm's fund raising efforts in aid of Headway this year I have been talked in to joining some friends in an endurance run at the end of April. This event is part of the Coastal Trail Series and is a marathon distance over the Cornish coastal path, and so there a lot of very steep slopes along the way.
Around 90 elite runners compete in this part of the Coastal Series - the winning time is around 4 hours and the longest time is around 8 hours. Compare this with the fact that:
- I have never taken part in a marathon or half marathon
- I snapped my right achilles 12 years ago
- my left achilles aches after running up hill
- before I started this training any running I did was for less than an hour.
We are expecting to have to run for at least 6-7 hours, run up a lot of hills and experience a lot of pain!
Headway
This year Lyons Davidson’s Charity of the Year is Headway. We have accepted
the Headway Baton Challenge and set a fundraising target of £250,00.00. We
collect the baton on the 10/12/09 and have one year to achieve our target.
Brain injuries can have devastating effects on people for
life. Headway improves life after brain injury by providing support,
care and information to survivors, families and carers.
The 2010 national fundraising campaign will increase awareness of acquired
brain injuries, which is often a "hidden injury". Throughout the community
and Lyons Davidson we aim to help spread the word. In order to bring to life
the amazing work that Headway does, our fundraising will involve victims of
head injuries, such as our clients and representatives from local Headway
groups. To find out more about Headway, please visit: www.headway.org.uk
Our aim during the course of 2010 is to run a series of fundraising events
and with your support this will, in addition, increase community awareness
of what Headway is and does.
HEADWAY FACTS:
• Each year, around 1.4 million people attend hospital A&E departments in
the UK following head injury.
• Around 135,000 people will be admitted because of the severity of their
injury.
• Approximately half of deaths in people under 40 are due to head injury.
• Head injury accounts for about 30 per cent of traumatic deaths and a
higher proportion of long-term disability.
• Men are two or three times more likely to have a brain injury than women.
This increases to five times more likely in the 15-29 age range.
• The major causes of head injury are road traffic accidents, falls and
accidents at home or at work.
• As many as 75 per cent of mild brain injuries go unreported and unassessed
by medical professionals.
I managed to finish the race in a reasonable time without injury! We were expecting to be at least 6 and a half hours but I did a time of 5:47 which was about 75th (out of 117!). Parts of the course were very difficult with steep slopes and areas where you had to jump over rocks to get along the path, but the scenery was beautiful, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
I have put a few photos of me and my friends going round the course so you can get an idea of the terrain we faced.
A huge thanks to everyone who has sponsored and supported me - I am delighted with the amount raised for Headway - it definitely helped me keep going.
The Event
As part of the firm's fund raising efforts in aid of Headway this year I have been talked in to joining some friends in an endurance run at the end of April. This event is part of the Coastal Trail Series and is a marathon distance over the Cornish coastal path, and so there a lot of very steep slopes along the way.
Around 90 elite runners compete in this part of the Coastal Series - the winning time is around 4 hours and the longest time is around 8 hours. Compare this with the fact that:
- I have never taken part in a marathon or half marathon
- I snapped my right achilles 12 years ago
- my left achilles aches after running up hill
- before I started this training any running I did was for less than an hour.
We are expecting to have to run for at least 6-7 hours, run up a lot of hills and experience a lot of pain!
Headway
This year Lyons Davidson’s Charity of the Year is Headway. We have accepted
the Headway Baton Challenge and set a fundraising target of £250,00.00. We
collect the baton on the 10/12/09 and have one year to achieve our target.
Brain injuries can have devastating effects on people for
life. Headway improves life after brain injury by providing support,
care and information to survivors, families and carers.
The 2010 national fundraising campaign will increase awareness of acquired
brain injuries, which is often a "hidden injury". Throughout the community
and Lyons Davidson we aim to help spread the word. In order to bring to life
the amazing work that Headway does, our fundraising will involve victims of
head injuries, such as our clients and representatives from local Headway
groups. To find out more about Headway, please visit: www.headway.org.uk
Our aim during the course of 2010 is to run a series of fundraising events
and with your support this will, in addition, increase community awareness
of what Headway is and does.
HEADWAY FACTS:
• Each year, around 1.4 million people attend hospital A&E departments in
the UK following head injury.
• Around 135,000 people will be admitted because of the severity of their
injury.
• Approximately half of deaths in people under 40 are due to head injury.
• Head injury accounts for about 30 per cent of traumatic deaths and a
higher proportion of long-term disability.
• Men are two or three times more likely to have a brain injury than women.
This increases to five times more likely in the 15-29 age range.
• The major causes of head injury are road traffic accidents, falls and
accidents at home or at work.
• As many as 75 per cent of mild brain injuries go unreported and unassessed
by medical professionals.