Another year draws to a close and we're delighted to report that we smashed our fundraising total. At the time of writing we've raised £1,376, that's £1,660.75 including gift aid.
Yet again we're amazed by the generosity of family, friends and strangers; without you guys, all our efforts would be for nothing.
2019 saw both Christine and myself try some new challenges in addition to our usual runs. For me, the year started with a disappointing Cambridge half marathon, resulting in a groin strain that has dogged me all year. In March, Christine completed her first multi-sport event, the Mumbles Duathlon, which was quickly followed by the Slateman Duathlon in Snowdonia including its super tough climb from Llanberis to Pen-y-Pass. I also took part in my first big cycling event, the Birmingham Velo 42 mile.
Cambridge Half & Cycling Events
Following some familiar events, the Star Wars half marathon and Endure 24 (Christine only), Mike participated in the Half Brutal Duathlon in Snowdonia, a significant step-up in challenge, including a 58-mile cycle around the mountains of Snowdonia. An event that started in incredibly bad weather, ended seven hours later in lovely sunshine and very sore legs.
More half marathons in Port Talbot, Northampton (Christine) and the ever-present Great North Run saw out the remainder of the summer.
Autumn & early winter
The autumn arrived and with it came the death of my father, who finally succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease on October 17th. A little over a week later came our biggest challenge of the year, the Snowdonia Marathon, Britain's hardest road marathon. Despite some seriously disrupted training and the emotional trauma of my dad's passing, we completed the marathon. It certainly lifted my spirits to be doing something positive that will one day hopefully save others from a similar fate.
Winter heralded our annual participation in the St Neots half marathon. While I knew that I didn't have the fitness to challenge for a PB, it's usually the quickest half marathon I run in any given year, and so it proved again as I clocked 1 hour 42 minutes.
Glynneath Boxing Day 5 miler
Our final event of the year was the Glynneath Boxing Day 5 miler. It's the shortest event we've participated in, which means faster, more painful running. We also had the chance to run with my nephew and niece, who are both excellent runners. As a family we were all happy with our efforts. It was a nice way to bring down the curtain on a year of tough, exciting and satisfying challenges.
Thank you all again for your support.
