Thanks for visiting Claudia & Sam's fundraising page!
For Sam, this all began back in June 2007 when her beloved dad, Steve Vaughan, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He bravely fought the disease with his own unique blend of grumpiness, humour and sheer bloody mindedness. He was loved and supported through his illness by his family and friends and it's that kind of support that The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation can offer other families. On 22nd March 2008 Lung Cancer took Steve away from his family and it's good to think that unbearable heartbreak can in someway be turned into something postive. So, by donating you can help other families through the devastating effects of this horrible illness.
For me, Claudia, I have always watched the London marathon while lying in bed on a Sunday morning wondering if an egg McMuffin will cure my hangover! Every year I'd think "I'd like to do that someday".
But now I have a reason to join those crazy fools on 26th April 2009 as I really want to help my good friend Sam raise money in memory of her dad and for a really good cause! So it's official - I'm doing it (even if it is the day after my birthday!)
I'm not a natural runner, I would actually say my running style is a bit like Shrek in trainers but I'm training hard and thankfully getting less Shrek-like although I doubt I will ever skip along like a mountain goat!!
I have now completed 2 half marathons - Bedford (Dec 08) in 2hrs 12min and MK(March 09) in 2hrs 05min. On the downside, my big toe nail is literally about to fall off and I have turned into a complete running geek!
The thought of running 26 miles is bloody scary so we set our fundraising target at £2,600 so it would equal £100 per mile to help spur me on! HOWEVER, thanks to the wonderful generosity of our friends, family and colleagues, we have hit this target. So we are now aiming for a big phat £3,000!
Oh - and just to clarify - it's only me doing the running - not Sam. She's only been to the gym once and that's only because she mistook it for a cake shop..... She is however doing brilliant work organising fundraising raffles and quiz nights and has raised £840 which has gone towards our total above!
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Thank you so much! 
POST MARATHON UPDATE!
WOW - WHAT A DAY - I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE AND CAME HOME IN 4HR 55 HAVING LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE. A FANTASTIC FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE - THANKS TO EVERYONE HELPING US RAISE SO MUCH MONEY IN MEMORY OF STEVE AND FOR SUCH A GREAT CAUSE.
