Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page!
When I signed up for the Brighton Marathon I always knew I would try and raise some money for The Stroke Association, as strokes have affected my life more than anything.
Growing up, running was a huge in our family - we literally could NOT escape it as my Dad was, quite frankly, bloomin' obsessed with it. He took it up kind of later in life, and seemed on a mission to squeeze in as much running as humanly possible. Which in his case was an awful lot indeed.
5ks, 10ks, half marathons, marathons, random runs of random distances in random locations up and down the country followed and it seemed every single Sunday from the day I was born was spent on the edge of some wet and windy field cheering my Dad across the finish line in whatever funny little race he'd signed him self up for. My Mam still can't think of St Albans without shuddering at the memory of "The Coldest Day Ever" which we spent waiting (waiting for what seemed like a fortnight, our fingers blue from cold) for my Dad to finish whatever run he was doing)
As well as the one man and his dog type stuff, he also tackled the big boys on many occasions - he did the Great North run so often he got a special number, and the London Marathon was one of his favourites. He also ran in far flung countries including Iceland, Norway and Australia.
He didn't give up in his quest to pass the running bug on to me when I was little - but I put up a good fight (I hated it. Running was hard work. Hard, annoying work. Give me gymnastics any day) and since he's been gone I have taken up the baton and have been well and truly converted.
He ran almost up until his dying day, still running in marathons and half marathons at 73 years old. When he had his stroke and spent his final week in hospital, I printed out loads of photos of him running to stick by his bedside with good luck messages and stuff on - because really, you couldn't think of my Dad without thinking of running. That and shell suits, old man books about war and tea of course.
So, ten years on from his death, I can think of no better way to celebrate my first ever marathon than by raising some pennies in honour of my running inspiration, my Dad, and to support the fantastic and so so important work of The Stroke Association. I love to run but this marathon is gonna HURT so to have some sponsors behind me is going to go a long way in giving me a boost at mile 18 when I can't see for tears and am vowing never to do anything as mental as this again...
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to The Stroke Association and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now!
