Update:

We did it! Between the five of us we ran a marathon on Sunday 11th June 2006.

Weeks of preparation did not take away our nerves and the last minute fumbling around with safety pins and 'where do we catch the bus', and 'where will we meet at the end questions'.

So, Rachel started off with long leg: 7.7 miles as she will proudly tell you! She made it... but everso slowly! Moira took up the batten for an impressively fast 4.5 miles, which set Lizzy up well for the next 5.6 miles which she raced through, Claire put in a confident and steady 3.5 miles, and then Jen pegged it for the final 5.2 miles.

Thank you to all of those who have supported us in so many ways: money, time and cheering: all equally important! We are very grateful to you and will make sure your efforts result in the extras we can offer to homeless people using the Cowgate Centre. Remind yourselves of what we do below...

Thank you for visiting our fundraising page. We are a team of novice lady runners who started training in March, read more about us and the routes we'll be running at the bottom of this screen.

We're running the Edinburgh Marathon team relay to raise money for the Cowgate Centre: the only homeless drop-in centre in Scotland open day and night 365 days a year. To find out more about the Centre and other Foursquare services read the information on the left of this screen (but don't forget to come back here and support us!)

Money is always tight at the Centre and any raised through donations helps us offer the extra things that can make a real difference to Homeless People, for whom life can be very bleak.

   Examples of how your support has helped in the past:

* Life skills training for homeless people recovering from drug addiction

* A series of art and music workshops to help homeless people get involved in edinburgh's cultural life

* 15 comfortable new dining chairs for our cafe

* Renovation of our popular pool table

This year, with your help, we are hoping to run two healthy lifestyles programmes: weight training for men and exercise classes for women. The estimated cost for 3 months is £3,000.

  Examples of what else your money could be used for:

* £1 buys a birthday card for someone everyone else has forgotten

* £7.50 buys a socks, underwear and gloves for a homeless person

* £10 buys materials for one person in a course of Art Therapy

* £100 buys mats for homeless people to rest on overnight in the Centre and offers an alternative to the cold and dangerous streets

* £150 buys a trip for the alcohol support group and gives recovering alcoholics a chance to expand their horizons

* £250 buys a Christmas meal for 60 lonely homeless people