Challenge Number 4 saw us travel a little further afield this time, all the way down to Bath for their annual Half Marathon!
This one had a personal touch for me. Last year sadly a good friend of my family was taken from us due to Cancer. Nick Samuel was an avid runner and ran the Bath Half every year along with at least two full marathons and in his honour his lovely family had decided to set up 'Team Nick' and run the annual half marathon along with seeing how much they could raise for two of the charities that Nick supported. The Fashion & Textile Childrens Trust and Cancer Research UK. (including gift aid just over £9k was raised, so thank you to everyone who sponsored Team Nick)
Sully and I were a little late in signing up to the team, however luckily there were two drop outs and we were fortunate enough to take their place. So if you're looking for our times we were Sue Tilley and Emma Sandle. Around the 730 mark for fastest women!!!
The Race was set up as a couple of miles through Bath city centre then 2 laps of the outerskirts and finishing back where you started. According to the local news there were expected to be 15,000 competitors trudging the streets and what seemed like a similar number lining them to cheer on their friends and family.
I have to say that for me, and I think for Sully too, this was the most enjoyable event so far. The atmosphere of Team Nick and its supporters before, during and after the race was fantastic. Even the strangers in the crowd were cheering us along as if they knew us personally, although they did keep reading sully's name wrong. We had Sullys, Soooollys, a Scully and even a Someone, much to my amusement of course as no one got 'Tom' wrong!! The whole race atmosphere was great, so much so that we managed to have a couple of water fights on the way round! Im not sure anyone else found it as funny as we did, but for the record, Sully lost.
Needless to say we rounded the last corner and the crowd on the home straight cheered us on to up the pace and we completed the race in just under 1:53!
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| After the finish, rocking our Red socks! |
A massive congratulations goes out to every member of Team Nick for completing the Half Marathon, to name a few; Roy, for getting round despite having your knee strapped for most of the way. Tim, for being the fastest member of the Team, Georgia, Hannah, Mamuht, Grace and Harriot and of course to Helen. Well done everyone.
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| Roy, Georgia and Hannah from 'Team Nick' |
A Couple of Thank You's are in order as well:
Helen thank you for organising us all and your amazing hospitality
All the members of 'Team Nick' for putting in such a good effort
All our supporters on the side lines, who we knew and who we didnt, (including my Dad, who came all the way and only managed to see us run past him 800 metres from home)
Avril for the delicious chicken lakshna post race
and of course to Bill, for chopping 3 Onions. They made all the difference in the chicken Lakshna, and its people like that, going the extra mile, that really make these things happen.
Challenges are starting to come in fast now. Next up is a Orienteering Race on March 20th. keep your eyes on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
