JOB DONE: 3h:59m:50s Llanelli Marathon 2010 (18th April 2010)
Okay not a total success as I now know having been to A&E that the last six odd miles were run on a hairline fracture of my tibia however I am quite enjoying the kudos that grants me. There is also the small issue of being in cast (I don't know how long for yet... hopefully weeks not months) and missing hospital placement which I will have to catch up with before I can qualify from university.
All that said I have completed a sub 4 hour marathon and there is a saying 'pain is temporary, pride is forever.'
Please do donate now I've done the deed (I think my leg is proof that I put 100% effort in!!!)
Hello and Welcome.
You may not be the biggest fan of animals but I implore you to read on.....
For a number of reasons I am running the Great Wales Marathon on the 18th April 2010. I had originally planned to do London but that didn't work out. But I am still doing a gruelling 26.2 miles and collecting sponsorship for charity.
Running a marathon is something only 1% of the world population ever do.
A
friend asked me gingerly if I had ever though of running a marathon and I said why not....... Laura is a vet student so an animal charity would be perfect to run for... cue the Blue Cross animal welfare charity.
Laura is running the London marathon which is the week after the event I'm doing. She can be found by Typing Laura Levan into the JG search bar.
...I had
no Idea how tough training for a 26.2 mile event would be... I have lost count of how many times I've sat down under the shower clutching my legs which feel distinctly like jelly as a result of running up and down hills and slogging the miles out in the pouring rain of December and in January the snow and Ice..... and oddly enough the ice continued into February?
Alas whenever I do something stupid there is a woman involved....But I haven't lost sight of why I am doing it and
that it is to help animals and their owners because each benefits from
each others company.
An example of the costs involved in the Blue Cross' work for animal care are:
£5 pays for a microchip so a pet can permanently be identified.
£5 buys a cat grooming kit.
£7 pays for an animal's life saving drip for use by a vet.
£10 pays for a pair of dog's nail clippers.
£13 buys a cat's bed.
£15 pays for a newborn puppy's 1st vaccinations.
£25 pays for a new cats vaccinations.
This list goes onwards and upwards to a stethoscope at £80 or
£3 million pounds a year to run the Victoria animal hospital. Obviously unless you've just won the lottery the list above gives a flavour of what the Blue Cross does.
The Blue Cross mission: Provide care, promote companionship, enhance animal and human lives
Our aims are to:
- > Ensure the welfare of animals by providing practical care
- > Highlight the benefits of companionship between animals and people
- > Promote a sense of respect and responsibility towards animals in the community
We provide support to the nation's pets and their owners by:
- > Treating pets whose owners cannot afford private veterinary treatment
- > Finding permanent homes for unwanted or abandoned animals
- > Educating the public in responsible animal ownership
(Taken from their website; About us: www.bluecross.org.uk)
I guess at some point I'm going to have to ask: If you're not a fan of animals please sponsor me for the sake of running a marathon and the training effort involved in becoming a 1 percent-er !!!
Many Thanks, Benjamin Troth.
