100 Marathons in 2014

7 friends…100 marathons… 365 days.

What started as a bit of foolish banter between 2 mates on a Sunday morning run has evolved into an obsession for a group of Yaxley Runners (Gary Masters, John Ackroyd, Ian Vallance, Gavin Farrow, Kevin Peel and Matt Lauch) and one Werrington Jogger (Martin Stevens).

The original idea was for the two mates to attempt to complete 14 marathons in 2014 (over 366 miles!), but once word got round, and testosterone and bravado took hold, there were soon 7 of us.

The original concept was just to see how we would fare, but in 2013 we were all deeply saddened to hear that a friend from the running club had received some devastating news. Her husband had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Despite a very brave fight, he tragically lost that battle at the end of March 2014, and all of the teams’ thoughts are with his young family.

With this in mind, we thought that the very least we could do was turn our crazy idea into something much more worthwhile. As the idea gathered momentum, we soon realised that if each of us ran 14 marathons that would equal 98, so we decided to round it up, and attempt to run 100 between us!

So there you have it: 7 friends, 100 marathons, 365 days. We’ve also collected a few additional runners who are running some major marathons this year, and they have also decided to join the fundraising, so we are very fortunate. We’re already off the mark, and all we need now is for you good people to make a generous donation.

We think we’re doing the easy bit, by the way! Pancreatic Cancer is the least understood and because of this, it has the lowest survival rate. The more research that takes place, the earlier it can be detected, the more people will beat it. Quite simply, the more research, the more survivors. This fantastic charity would benefit greatly from your donations, big or small.

We have set a target of £10,000 between us for the year, but to be honest, why would we stop there? Please note that every penny raised will go directly to the charity, as we are funding all race entries, travel, etc. ourselves.

On behalf of the team, our sincere thanks.

Completed Marathons:

 

Sat 18th Jan                Viking Coastal Marathon

1)         Martin Stevens                         3.18.25                        (Mart’s 1^st)

2)         Matt Lauch                  3.21.36                        (Matt’s 1^st)

3)         Kevin Peel                   3.51.33 (PB)    (Kev’s 1^st )

 

Sun 26^th Jan                Gran Canaria Marathon

4)         Ian Vallance                3.34.46                        (Ian’s 1^st)

5)         Gavin Farrow               3.45.32                        (Gav’s 1^st)

6)         Gary Masters                4.53.46                        (Gary’s 1^st)

 

Sat 15^th Feb                 Valentines Marathon (Stratford)          

7)         Martin Stevens            3.27.02                        (Mart’s 2^nd)

8)         Matt Lauch                  3.38.01                        (Matt’s 2^nd)

9)         Ian Vallance                3.55.45                        (Ian’s 2^nd)

10)       Kevin Peel                   4.04.41                        (Kev’s 2^nd)

11)       Gavin Farrow               4.25.17                        (Gav’s 2^nd)

12)       Gary Masters                5.08.00                        (Gary’s 2^nd)

 

Sat 8^th Mar                   Groundhog Marathon (Telford)

(105.5 laps of an athletics track!)

13)       Martin Stevens             3.03.32 (2^nd)     (Mart’s 3^rd)

14)       Matt Lauch                  3.17.09                        (Matt’s 3^rd)

15)       Ian Vallance                3.32.22                        (Ian’s 3^rd)

16)       Gavin Farrow               3.43.00                        (Gav’s 3^rd)

17)       Kevin Peel                   3.52.14                        (Kev’s 3^rd)

18)       John Ackroyd               4.37.53                        (John’s 1^st)

 

Sun 6^th April                 Bungay Marathon

19)       Matt Lauch                  3.15.41 (PB)    (Matt’s 4^th)

20)       Ian Vallance                3.43.49                        (Ian’s 4^th)

21)       Gavin Farrow               3.56.23                        (Gav’s 4^th)

22)       Gary Masters                4.09.47                        (Gary’s 3^rd)

23)       Kevin Peel                   4.21.00                        (Kev’s 4^th)

24)       John Ackroyd               4.48.47                        (John’s 2^nd)

 

Sun 6^th April                 Brighton Marathon

25)       Martin Stevens             3.03.52                        (Mart’s 4^th)

26)       Rob Smith                   4.03.39           

 

Sun 13^th April               London Marathon

27)       Martin Stevens                         3.18.05                        (Mart’s 5^th)

28)       Paul Atherfold                         3.45.44

29)       Nina Wright                  4.36.44

 

Scheduled Marathons:

 

May                             ‘The Ox’ Marathon

                                                Milton Keynes

                                                North Norfolk

                                                Kent

June                            Seabank Marathon (Boston to Skegness)

                                                The Wall (Ultra)

July                              Fairlands Valley Challenge

August                         Isle of Man

September                   Robin Hood Marathon (Nottingham)

                                                Grafham Water

                                                Mablethorpe

Sat 25^th Oct                 Snowdonia Marathon

Sun 26^th Oct                Brentwood Marathon

Mon 27^th Oct                Dublin Marathon

Nov                              Istanbul

                                                Stratford

Dec                              Enigma (Milton Keynes)