Et voilà!

Welcome back to my fundraising page!

For those of you yet unaware of the latest crazy developments in my life, on Sunday the 24th of September, I took up the challenge of running a 7km (4 mile) race dressed up as a gorilla-all in aid of gorilla conservation.
The response has been tremendous. I would like to thank everyone for their moral support and contributions. It is an experience I certainly will not forget in a hurry!

So, it wasn’t so bad after all; I’ve survived to tell the tale. This year’s Great Gorilla Run was a real hoot. London, which at its worst is padded with cold unsympathetic too hurried/important-to-speak stressed out atomised people, was transformed with clusters of cheering, lively happy people.
The colourful crowd of old and young, tourists and Londoners alike, lined the run route with an abundance of enthusiasm; all eager to be entertained and spooked by a series of amateur performances of gorilla grunts.

“Gerroooon gorillaz!”
The run started with a near miss as I scurried to the starting line with the awful knowledge that my out of breathlessness would have to wait a further 7k before it could be put to rest. The route from Sloane to Monument tube took longer than anticipated and I found myself asking ‘Sebastian’, a pole visiting the capital, if he wouldn’t mind providing me with some cover while I whip out of my civilian clothes. Changing into a full size gorilla costume at 10:20am on the tube on a Sunday morning started to feel strangely normal as the embarrassment was soon diluted by the adrenaline that was pumping through my body. 
So back to the race, a short speech and one trigger movement from Bill Oddies’s knobbly finger and the gorillas were on their way. Grunts and barking noises with the occasional farts (for those who had done their proper research), you name it, the cacophony of a gorilla moving herd on mass was a very surreal experience-something that had completely escaped my mind while training.

With no previous vocal rehearsals, I managed to utter the least convincing huhuhu..sounds, sounding like a cross between an injured puppy and a deranged chicken, occasionally pinching some imaginary saggy breasts-much more chimpanzee than gorilla.  Although, Mr Gibbon will be pleased to hear that I did beat my coconut chest on several occasions! Check out the funny video, and you'll know exactly what it felt like (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqY04cFT6LU ).

The run itself took me 48 minutes but as with all things that are fun in life it was over very quickly. I felt invincible but that was before I’d realised I had overused every single muscle cell in my body.  I must have stumbled into several gorillas before maintaining a steady pace with the acuity of a drunken horse with blinkers, not helped by the sweaty hair that was covering my eyes inside the mask.  Talking of hair, by the second bridge (London Bridge), a gorilla had wisely discarded a yellow wig (more like a long peroxide toupee) which, due to my inadequacies in accessories, was quickly assumed as my own.

Part of the joy of the race was to admire the outfits gorillas decided to wear for this very public defile de mode. Let me quickly apologise that I was not more adventurous. I was wearing a slightly demure coconut bra and leaf necklace. There were pirates, cops & robbers (7917 & 7918), Vikings, fairies (7069), Baywatch hunks, clowns and many others. You can check out the exhibits yourself by going on http://www.event-photos.co.uk/buy.html I can be found on the page with picture ref no: 8009. My personal favourite has to be the Steve Irwin tribute gorilla (7851). 6022 was fun too. 
My hat (or wig) goes to the group of skiers and the barrister. How they managed to survive the heat is still a mystery to me. The prize for the best dressed gorilla was dished out to Mr Pink gorilla who made the suit himself from scratch. Good effort!

I’ve been told the gorilla run will make its debut in San Francisco in March 2007 so watch the Gorilla Org website for more information... I hope for their sake that the route will not form a circuit and that it will be downhill all the way! 

I would heartily recommend the Great Gorilla run to anyone who’d like
to let out some primate frustration without running the risk of being locked into an asylum. It's certainly a fun way of breaking into London (this was a great initiation ritual for me, never again will I look at any of the landmarks in quite the same way) and of course, it is a fantastic excuse to stay in tip top shape.

Most importantly, I recommend it to anyone who would like to do something for our furry cousins and cares about their future survival.  There is a serious undertone to all this fun and that is to increase awareness so as to maintain and safeguard the protection of mountain and lowland gorillas.
As you already know, the rising gorilla population number is very delicate. Thanks to the Gorilla Organisation and your contributions, your money will go a long way towards providing ongoing support with a number of vital projects. http://www.gorillas.org/articles/?type=projects
Now that is something we can all be proud of! (Ear-to-ear smile)

Well done everybody!!

Rosie xxxxxx 

This site will remain live until the middle of November, for those who have not yet contributed but would like to make a donation, please do. 

Any comments or messages are very welcome. You can email them to hiccupandgo@yahoo.co.uk

The start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSzKtjHkmNE&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBmQmMLHIPM

Route map: http://www.gorillas.org/greatgorillarun/RaceMap.jpg
Previous run footage: http://www.rungorillarun.com/sponsorme.html

Authentic gorilla sounds:
http://www.berggorilla.de/english/faq/dvers/hoeren.html

Great video footage of close encounter with a Silverback. Who do you think was more scared. Paddy or the gorilla?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz8NQdgj-iY&mode=related&search=

Family time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46loMOGydqg