Story
I did it!
For the running geeks (or just plain interested) out there -
1 I finished it! (first aim)
2 I ran all the way! (second aim)
3 My time was 2.16! (third aim - to be under 2 1/2 hours).
So really pleased and thanks all for sponsoring me.
If you want to know more about RoadPeace, then please read on....
RoadPeace is a national charity that supports victims of road crash, sadly, usually bereaved families, through providing emotional and practical support, and also campaigning for road danger reduction. It was started by a bereaved mother in 1992 following the death of her son by a red light offender.
For those of you who don't know the numbers, S E V E N people die every day on our roads.....and each of these deaths leaves behind a family and friends shocked and devastated. When I was 17, my grandma was killed when a speeding driver lost control of his car and mounted the pavement and ran into her. So I know from personal experience that it's a really shocking and traumatic way to lose someone....and it's not something that you ever forget.
What I really like about RoadPeace is that they offer real support and understanding to families when they really need it. This varies from putting people in touch with befrienders, to advocacy work accompanying families to meetings with the police, to simply helping to navigate the post crash process through providing information sheets on the justicial process...And families confirm that getting the right help at the right time when bereaved through a road crash can mean the difference between coping or giving up.....
When this happened to my family, RoadPeace wasn't around, but if it had been, my mum and her brother and sister would have been able to access much needed help to understand the judicial process that follows. Instead, we were left feeling isolated and devastated, like the death of my grandma was meaningless. I really do believe that being left with a sense of social injustice following an unnatural death just complicates any healthy grieving process, and RoadPeace is working really hard to avoid that happening.
So, sorry. I know this is a difficult and heavy subject, but if you've bothered to read so far, thank you! You now know about RoadPeace. And I hope that you might also think about sponsoring me too! Now that I've entered my middle age, I need all the help and motivation I can get to finish this thing....
And if you are in or around Greenwich on the 27th, come and cheer me on!
Thank you
Sara
xx
Running in memory of my grandma, Kathleen Sidebottom, killed in a car crash in May 1987, and the 66 000 others who have lost their lives on the road since then....
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