Our Marathon Runners - 2006
Shaw Trust is very grateful to the 28 people who ran the London Marathon for us in 2006. There were lots of different reasons why these generous individuals gave their time, their energy and, for a lot of them, blood sweat and tears to Shaw Trust! All we can say is THANK YOU – on behalf of the thousands of disabled and disadvantaged people Shaw Trust helps every year.Some of our runners were kind enough to let us know what running the London Marathon was like, so here's the truth of it – from pain to life-changing and in their own words - from Sarah Livermore, Nick Kimber, James & George Woodroffe, Sarah Baker, Dennis Atherton, Catherine Pote, Chris Smith, Jason Roberts, Tom Evans and Kira Dempsey. Their stories make wonderful reading.
SARAH LIVERMORE
I was gutted that it took me so long! Unfortunately I had food poisoning on the day so spent a fair amount of time on the toilet during the "race" and walked most of it between toilet stops. Luckily I had my phone on me so I could ring friends to ask them to supply loo roll en route. I look back and chuckle about it now but at the time it was pretty grim running right at the back of the pack, in the rain for a quarter of a day! However, I do have to say that there were many times when the thought that I was doing this to raise a four-figure sum really kept me going. I do wonder if I'd have finished if it wasn't for that. The generosity of my sponsors really amazed me at times and that had a great deal to do with the fact that they'd heard about the work of Shaw Trust and were happy to donate. Colleagues at ODPM in particular were impressed by work that you are currently doing in Croydon I believe.
NICK KIMBER
As far the day went it could not have been better, some wonderful support around the course from the young and old. The race went as I had planned as far as the time went; I was 12 minutes quicker then last year so all the training paid off. One of my training partners finished a minute in front and the other just behind, we started at three different starts and never saw each other till we crossed the finishing line. The legs were a bit sore for a couple of days but I am back out running now.
Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to run for you
JAMES & GEORGE WOODROFFE
Training together started in December on Boxing Day on the West coast of Scotland where we went for a 10k hill run with some stunning views over the surrounding lochs and hills. That was a definite one off as the rest of our training consisted of runs solely in London, but we we're both surprised with the variety of runs we could go on in a variety of environments. Our standard routes were around either Hyde Park or Battersea Park, with longer runs along the river to Tower Bridge, but we occasionally ventured out to Hampton Court and ran along the Thames which was much more peaceful and serene.
The 16 weeks of training post Christmas did however have their ups and downs with George only being fully fit for 6 weeks of those with Achilles and knee problems due to the constant pounding on concrete. James got through in one piece but training was not ideal in the last 6 weeks for various reasons, so the day of the race came with the four hour target still in our minds but we had no idea whether it would possible, especially since it was our first marathon!
The few days before the race consisted of eating a lot of pasta, an uncomfortable amount to be honest, but we knew it would be vital for having enough energy to get round the 26.2 miles. The morning of the race came and advice for anyone doing it in the future is to get to Greenwich early as everything takes time especially queuing for the loos! So without any real warm up we took our places at the start and crossed the line 6 minutes after the first people ran through.
The first half of the race was relatively comfortable and we had enough energy to absorb the atmosphere on the course with the thousands of people cheering everyone en route providing a real adrenaline rush. With water stations every mile and lucozade drinks every five you can keep hydrated the whole way round, the danger can come in over drinking instead! Running past the Cutty Sark is a good feeling but in your mind you still know you're only a quarter of the way round so you can't get too excited.
By the time we got to Tower Bridge we were still feeling good, even with the sight of the elite runners nearing the finish, but after 14 miles our legs started to feel heavy and the mile posts seem to take forever to come into sight. It was hard to take in the atmosphere and scenery at Canary Wharf as we were both concentrating on keeping our legs moving, then after 19.5 miles we had to walk a bit but managed for the last 6 miles to run on and off, partially due to the crowds but also because we knew we were so close to the finish.
We approached Parliament Square and started seeing our friends that had come to watch with our family cheering us on from Birdcage Walk before the final turn into the Mall and what turned out to be a hectic sprint to the line once we realised our time. We finished in 4 hours 29 minutes and 54 seconds and although 30 minutes behind our target time were both just happy to get round at all, especially since 15 miles was the most we had run previously!
One of the things that kept us going throughout the months of training and the race, especially with doubts over whether George was actually going to run, was the thought of the people we would be helping with the money we raised. With doubts on whether we would be able to raise £2000 we have now raised over £5700 and hoping to get to £6000 before we hand it all over to the Shaw Trust. There has been a terrific response from family and friends to the cause we were running for and this has been reflected in the amount we have been sponsored.
As to whether we would do it again, we both would have said no immediately after the race, but looking back on it, it's almost a definite yes with the huge sense of achievement it gives you as well the help you can give to a charity. So Shaw Trust watch this space, the Woodrow boys will be back!
GRAHAM CHRISTIE
I completed the marathon in 4hrs 48 minutes. I would like to thank the Shaw Trust for giving me this opportunity to experience the London Marathon.
When I did reach the end it was a mixture of feeling yes I had achieved it and ran all the way but my body was very tired.
The marathon was a wonderful and painful experience.
SARAH BAKER
Running the London marathon is an experience to say the least! There are not many races that you can run along side Mr Men, sausages and rhinos!! It was a fantastic experience with great support for spectators and fellow runners alike. Would I do it again?? Yes definately, I now have a time to beat!!
DENNIS ATHERTON
I can not put into words how it feels to run in the London marathon because it is all about feelings and feelings are the hardest things to put to words. How it makes you feel and all the emotions you got through from the start of the training to the end of the 26.2 miles are too many to recall, from the training in the British winter, from running in rain, heat, snow, cold and even a few blizzards because you are afraid to let up on the training. Am I training too hard? Am I training not hard enough? Should I train as long slow runs or short fast runs? All have different ideas about which are correct and you need to decide which are good for you and which are not, as it is you that has to run the 26.2 miles in the end.
What food is good for you while training? And more importantly, what foods are bad? Should I wear my waterproofs today? What trainers should I get? Seamless socks, vaseline, joggers nipple, hill running, chaffing, the build up, the nerves, sore muscles, the challenge, the excitement, the crowds, the final hard two miles, (for me anyhow) bananas, telling you friends what you are going to do, seeing their faces, reaction, and finally the respect you get when you did it.
The money you raised for charity almost is irrelevant in the large plan of things although a great sense of happiness will be had when you get all the money and send off the cheque to the charity, knowing you did this for charity , doing for others and not just for oneself, is a wonderful feeling in itself.
Can I do it ??? You will ask yourself this a lot over the time you spend training. I know I did, eight months in all, but I had never ran since school before that and that was twenty years ago. So at 35 I also was wondering, am I too old and wishing I had done it when I was younger. But if you had seen what I had seen on 23 April 2006 then you would know, as I do, that age is not a reason for not being fit and is more like an excuse people use for lack of fitness. When seventy year old men and women are passing you at the nineteen mile mark at Canary wharf you will understand this like I do.
So age aside, the challenge is timeless and when done you know you have achieved something special and been part of something that was special to a lot of people. You have hope when you see the blind runners, the disabled, and all the other charities connected to see that the marathon is special because it lifts the spirit of every one there in the goodness in humanity. When finished, you feel like you did something that at first was too big, too hard, too much for you to take on. Yet you did and you won. I mean won in the way completing the course is winning. You feel like you can do more than before. You realize that not only have you got the ability to surprise others but you also have the ability to surprise yourself. And then you start to think to yourself that if you can do this then what else can you do?
This is the question, you know it now. You do not have the answers but you have a question and the answers seem less restricted now. You are unsure because what you thought was impossible before is not anymore. I do not know what the questions are I want to ask myself but I know there are more than before, and all seem within reach. And if you do not understand what I am on about, you will once you have done the London Marathon. I promise.
CATHERINE POTE
It feels really amazing to say I finished.
My finishing time was 5 hours 39 minutes, which was a lot longer than I had hoped / prepared for, but I'm delighted to be able to say that I took part. Unfortunately, my back went into spasm at 10 miles and it proceeded to get worse.
The crowds were absolutely amazing!
I spotted 2 Shaw Trust Runners, which was great! (Not sure who they were)
I have taken some amazing memories from the day, Cutty Sark and the finish line. I feel embarrassed to admit this, but I got quite emotional at both points.
I met a wonderful man - Roger - who was running for Macmillan's. It was his second marathon. He was having troubles with his knees. We kept each other going from mile 14 to the end. I was really pleased that we went over the finish line together. He was such a great support. I only wish we had been able to have a drink together afterward to celebrate.
CHRIS SMITH
It was a fantastic day. A real once in a lifetime experience, if a somewhat painful one.
Over the last few miles I was thinking never again. But now two days later I am definitely considering next year. This could become addictive.
JASON ROBERTS
I have mixed emotions about my finishing time of 4:30. I'm really disappointed about the time as I wanted to finish in about 3:45 as I knew I was capable of achieving that because of all the training I had put in. So I'm running it again next year to achieve my original goal. I had problems with my right leg from my groin all the way to my calf from roughly mile 11 to about 16 which no doubt slowed me down. I had to stop a few times to stretch and massage out the pain which no doubt affected my time. (I had to run to the starting area as I was running late and had no time to warm up or stretch which was probably the reason for the problems with my leg. I was so angry that I had no time to properly prepare before the race as this was always my priority in training). I was aware I was falling behind time so I really had to dig deep and somehow found the energy to pick up a really good pace from mile 18 all the way to the finish line.
As I mentioned I have mixed emotions but I have to say my finish time is the only bad one. The whole experience was something I could never fully explain and the sense of achievement when crossing the finish line was completely overwhelming. I have never experienced so many emotions in such a short space of time. At times I thought I was beaten but then a voice from the crowd or a glimpse of a London landmark would pick you up and carry you along to the next mile. The thought of giving up was never an option, no matter how uncomfortable I felt as I knew a family member was always around the corner to cheer me on. The crowds were just amazing and are without a doubt what gets most people across the finish line. Every person in the crowd that day felt like a personal friend and I still can't believe those people remained so upbeat considering the terrible weather. Every time you passed a famous landmark the reality of taking part in one of the world's biggest events kicked in and a burst of energy appeared from nowhere. I personally believe that it is the combination of the crowd and sense of great pride of raising money for charity that helps those people limping at mile 19 cross the finish line. I'm still buzzing from the experience and I'm completely overjoyed I've achieved a lifelong ambition before I turn 30 later this year. I'll be back next year to achieve my time, but this one was always all about raising money for Shaw Trust which has not only helped me to achieve one of my goals but more importantly will help many more achieve theirs.
I would personally like to thank all at Shaw Trust for giving me the opportunity of raising money for such a worthy cause. Your help and support throughout has been absolutely fantastic and its great to see such a big organisation still finds the time to write to people individually. The work you do is just amazing and I do hope the money I've raised will help you to continue.
TOM EVANS
One of the bestest days of my life. Ran it in 4.09. Absolutely buzzing for the last 10 miles - it felt biblical.
KIRA DEMPSEY
It feels fantastic although still painful right now. I've been sat on a hot water bottle all day! The day was amazing and we managed to see our friends and family who had come to support us loads of times around the course.
I ran it with my partner Brent, who was brilliant, encouraging me along, especially when I hit my wall at 18 miles, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.
Favourite parts of the day?
There's so many but here's a few:
I was bent over laughing for about ten minutes at the beginning of the course when spectators kept reading Brent's vest wrong and shouting the words of encouragement to 'Bert'!
Seeing my mum and dad and my crazed friend Clare screaming at the top of their lungs with a massive banner at Tower Bridge.
Reading everyone's running vest and talking to other runners realising everyone's very personal stories behind their reasons for running and raising money.
Running along side 'Mr Happy' and hearing him swear every time a spectator shouted 'come on Mr Happy, SMILE!!!!' - very funny.
And of course crossing the finish line..... we did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As you can see, so many favourite memories and I would just like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience such an event. It has been an absolute honour to run and fundraise for such a fantastic charity.
