WE DID IT!!!!!
Sunday started early at 7 o clock with the hares drinking protein shakes and eating energy bars hoping this would give them the extra edge!! Whilst the tortoise of the group (thats me if you hadn't worked it out by now!) stuck to the old favourite of a cuppa with a bowl of quaker oats!!
At the sound of the horn James went off like a whippet and completed the race in just 54 minutes! We ran steady and consistently and finished in the pretty fab time of 69 minutes!! The atmosphere on the day was marvelous and the cheers of encouragement from the spectators really spurred me on. When I started to feel tired I thought of Rachael and how she would have loved to have been running the race with me, but couldn't. There was no way i could give up then. I felt she was with me all the way round. As i crossed the finish i knew she would have been proud of us all and i was elated.
On the day there were 4000+ runners who all seemed to be running to raise money for one cancer charity or another. It always makes me sad to see how many peoples lives are affected by this cruel disease yet it also inspires me that so many people are willing to selflessly put in time, and much effort, to raise money to support such worthy causes.
I will be delighted and proud to hand over the money you have all helped raise to St. gemma's hospice and so a huge thank you to each and everyone of you who made a donation. You have made all the aching muscles and blisters worthwhile!!
Thank you from the Tortoise and the Hares!!
THANK YOU for clicking onto our fundraising webpage. Please do not let the photograph opposite deceive you, we are undertaking training at a secret location 3 times a week (no not the pub! ) in order to reach our peak physical fitness by August 2013, sorry I meant 2009?! For those who know us, running such a distance is not something we take lightly, in fact we are awake most nights quivvering in fear of such a task so PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY! Regards Andrew.
Now for the serious stuff! I know that many of you reading this will have known Rachael and why we have chosen to support St.Gemmas hospice but for those of you that don't let me fill you in!
My sister Rachael died in St.Gemmas hospice on January 13th 2006 after a brave and courageous battle with cancer . She had just had her 30th birthday and left behind her wonderful husband James (one of the hares!) and their 11 month old beautiful baby girl, Imogen. Rachael was always so full of life and an inspiration to all who knew her. She had a wicked sense of humour and was simply a wonderful person. St.Gemmas looked after her during her last 2 weeks and provided Rachael and us with all the support and care we needed. We will always be indebted to them for this.
Rachael was a personal trainer and loved running so it seemed particularly apt to choose this event as a way of raising money in her memory. Unlike Rachael however, my body was definitely built for comfort and not for speed! Rachael would certainly be laughing her head off at me now!
I know money is tight for everyone at the moment but your donation means so much, no matter how large or small, and will be received most gratefully.
Thank you, Rebecca x
