Will Taylor
I'm running a long way again!
Fundraising for University of Bristol
Story
Hey there! Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. I enjoyed myself so much running around New York I thought I'd give London a go...Running the NYC Marathon in November 2008 was such an incredible experience for me and is something I'd love to replicate in my home country (If you don't believe me, check out my photos which clearly prove how much fun I had!). Also, judging from the experiences of family and friends, it would seem it's only a matter of time before my knees give way so I think I should embrace them whilst they're still going. It seems only right that if I'm going to run such a ridiculous distance, somebody should benefit from it. So this time I'm running to raise money for the University of Bristol Cancer Research Fund.
So, in the end I managed to complete the marathon in 3 hours 30 minutes and 12 seconds. I did the first half in 1 hour 37, which shows how tough the second 13.1 miles are! I did put on a sprint in the last what felt like 400 metres but was probably about 100 to try and get under the 3 and a half mark but didn't quite make it. Oh well. I beat my New York time by over 17 minutes so it's progress. I'm up for knocking another 17 minutes off my PB in 2011 if I manage to get a place. Needless to say, many people will be hoping I get a ballot place. Otherwise, I'll have to get a place through a charity and you know what that means…
For anyone wanting proof that I did actually run, here's a link to my photos from the race... http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?RaceOID=19802010S1&LastName=TAYLOR&BibNumber=48854&Language=en&Mailing=24322&BFI=ft5ucug39a&Frames=true&Flash=true&FlashVersion=10&Height=1080&Width=1920&Index2Home=true Thank you so much to everyone for their support and donations. I really appreciate it. You are all beautiful people. Will.
Cancer affects nearly everyone's lives at some point in time - either personally, or through a family member or friend. At the University of Bristol clinicians, doctors and scientists are involved in research of international importance looking at the causes and treatments of one of the world's largest killers.The Cancer Research Fund, an internal fund based at the University, awards key pump-priming grants to promising young cancer researchers to buy laboratory consumables or small pieces of equipment. These researchers are the research stars of the future and are looking at ways of preventing and treating the major cancers including breast, bowel, laryngeal, oral, prostate cancers and leukaemia. Although the research will be based at the University it is important to note that the results will have national and international implications.
The Cancer Research Fund has been generously supported by donors and more specifically, in the last twelve months, donations to the Cancer Research Fund have enabled nine pivotal cancer research projects to begin. Ultimately this ground breaking research will help to make crucial interventions in the fight against cancer. For more information on the Fund go to http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cancer/index.html
The Cancer Research Fund needs your help. Progress with prevention, causation and treatment of the vast numbers of cancers can only continue by supporting those researchers with the knowledge and skill to undertake this vital work.
So please help us fight this disease.
All donations on this site are simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: the Cancer Research Fund will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.I would be really grateful if you donated generously to such a good cause...so please sponsor me now!
Thanks so much for your kind support,Will.
All donations on this site are simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: the Cancer Research Fund will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.I would be really grateful if you donated generously to such a good cause...so please sponsor me now!
Thanks so much for your kind support,Will.
Post-race update: Well, I must say I was a little uneasy looking at weather forecasts for the big day in the week before, as they seemed to be predicting a hotter and hotter day as the event approached. "One of the hottest London Marathons on record" was one of the shouts. Thankfully, my concerns were eased when I got up on Sunday to witness a pretty gloomy London skyline. There was even a pre-race downpour to cool things down (and ruin a few people's body-painted outfits sadly) Not so great for the supporters, but good for the runners (selfish). Still, it didn't seem to put any of them off as they were there in their hundreds of thousands (well over half a million people apparently) almost every step of the way, making so much noise and basically keeping me alive in the last few miles. I didn't think it was possible to get a crowd as loud, energetic and enthusiastic as the one in New York (Americans do it best after all) but I think London just about matched it.
For anyone wanting proof that I did actually run, here's a link to my photos from the race... http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?RaceOID=19802010S1&LastName=TAYLOR&BibNumber=48854&Language=en&Mailing=24322&BFI=ft5ucug39a&Frames=true&Flash=true&FlashVersion=10&Height=1080&Width=1920&Index2Home=true Thank you so much to everyone for their support and donations. I really appreciate it. You are all beautiful people. Will.