Our Marathon Heroes!
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- 26th April 2017
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On Sunday our five fearless runners took on the London Marathon to raise money for our Monitoring for Mums appeal! Weather conditions were perfect and the atmosphere was electric with huge crowds cheering on our team along the route!
Our team of athletes included three Partners from Gateley Plc – Tim Ledger, Daniel French and George Parker-Fuller. One of our core faculty members on the Developing ‘Human Factors’ Skills course, Susie Crowe. We also welcomed back Mark Quickfall, who heard we had spaces available and had so much fun running the marathon last year that he was keen to do it all again!
We are so grateful to our team for the months of training they have endured and the sacrifices they have made in the lead up to this day. George recalls that since he began training on Boxing Day 2016 he has run just over 400 miles, had 26 personal trainer sessions, cycled just under 400 miles; he also quit drinking alcohol and lost 18lbs!
All their hard work certainly paid off! Here are everyone’s official times and how they found the whole experience.
Dan: 04:12:57 “Without a doubt one of the greatest things I have ever done and a real privilege to be part of. I had heard beforehand how good the atmosphere was but nothing could have prepared me for the level of support we got from the crowd. They were just amazing and really did carry me round the final few agonising miles!
It was an honour to run for Baby Lifeline and I have been delighted and humbled by the kindness and generosity of everyone who has sponsored me. I feel lucky to have been able to do something to support such a great cause and hopefully make a positive difference in the important work that you do.
I think I could have probably gone a bit quicker if I hadn’t got stuck behind a giraffe and Batman and Robin in a canoe!!”
George: 04:22:48 “The organisation of the event and support from the public along the route was phenomenal. It was a real challenge getting around the course in the heat of a London spring day (which is much warmer than the frozen wastes of the North East of England) and it was head down and just making sure one foot went in front of the other for the last twelve miles. Thoroughly pleased to have taken part – so many thanks for affording me the opportunity to do so and to raise money for Baby Lifeline along the way.”
Mark: 04:24:54 “The crowd were even better than last year! Everyone was in very good spirits and handing me all sorts of food – someone even tried to give me a beer! I’m very pleased to have raised so much money in such a short space of time for a wonderful charity!”
Susie: 04:42:25 “I had an amazing time at the London Marathon! I’ve gone from being a non-runner 4 months ago to totally hooked!”
Tim: 05:48:44 “I have done many things for Baby Lifeline over the last 35 years but this has to have been the hardest yet most rewarding experience of my life. A mixture of pleasure, and as far as my knees are concerned, a lot of pain too! Everyone says how great the experience is and the support is unbelievable but I can say that even for one of those bringing up the rear, the crowd was so noisy it felt like I was near the front! An amazing day I will never ever forget.”
Our team has raised a staggering £17,343.40 for our Monitoring for Mums Appeal with more donations still coming in! This money will go towards much needed equipment and training for maternity and neonatal units across the country!
Unfortunately, due to injury, Olivia Roe was unable to run this year’s Marathon but all the money she has raised will be carried over to next year’s event. We wish you a speedy recovery Olivia and we’ll see you at the finish line in 2018!
If you would like to get involved with Baby Lifeline you can contact us through the website. To keep up to date with our latest news make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.