Well thats it guys, all done. Only seems like last week that i was starting my training and setting up this page. Id like to say a massive thankyou to everyone who has donated and i dont say that lightly, everyone has been extremely generous. There were times near the start of this page i really thought we wouldnt make the target and then looking at it now im very grateful.

The marathon its self was amazing, if anyone reading this is thinking of doing one then go for it. The whole weekend was very organised but tiring. I finished the marathon in 4h 9m 11s. I said id like to finish under 4h but there were a few factors that slowed me down. The start of the race had an amazing aura about it and the atmosphere was great. The first 13 miles felt quick 1h 52m to be exact be there was so much going on it felt like 30mins. Then i took a few carbo gels to fuel up at mile 16 which sat poor on my stomach and gave me stitch and cramps. By mile 20 this was really painfull and i had to walk it off for 10 mins but got going again and picked up a decent pace. The heat was immense but it did make for a brilliant day. I saw what must have been over a hundred people pulled up with heat exhaustion and having to pull out which must be devastating after all that preparation and training. The last 4 mile were perfect and i started to enjoy my running again. The finish was a great feeling and after 26 mile quite emotional. I met some great people whilst i was down there and would love to do it all again. Thanks again for all your support, i hope this experience goes somewhere to making a difference for the Cardiomyopathy Association, and other families in similar situations to mine. Thankyou

 

 

My story briefly

Not everyone who visits this page will know me personally or why i am running, so i'll give you an idea. First of all im Ross Blackwood a 23 year old heating engineer. Originally im 1 of 4 children. In brief when i was 4 my eldest brother Dale passed away with Cardiomyopathy, which through growing up i always missed that older influence from a brother. Then in January 2010 my youngest brother Nick passed away although being taken ill with a different health problem it was the genetic heart disease that took him from us. Thankfully my sister cassie and myself have not been diagnosed with the illness.

This is just the surface of it for me as its also spreads into my extended family and there are many more families in the same situation. So i contacted CMA (Cardio Myopathy Association) for fundraising ideas and the London Marathon seemed the perfect way to raise money for all the loved ones we've lost but mainly for Nick. So please, lets try and make a real difference.