As promised here is my introductory blog about my new running campaign throughout 2015.I have mainly copied the info from my fundraising page and dedicated Facebook page as I'm trying to keep the info uniform across all formats,please have a read of it all.
Intro and a little about me:
I am now a charity runner in my spare time and I like to at least think I am helping those in true need with what physical and mental attributes I was given by God.
I have been charity running since 2012 when I first started running and have been raising money every year since. I finally divorced after a long separation roughly 4 years ago and my time is my own and in my search for purpose in my life I decided to dedicate all my time and effort to fundraising to help improve lives where I can as I failed during my marriage,and the best way I know how is through fitness.
We are now starting 2015 and my newest challenge 14runs-The Sequel has began....
The Challenges :
Feb: Mad Dog 10k Southport, a local charity run organised by the local Hesketh Round Table every year to raise money for local charities.
March: Jacobs Leg it 10k at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk and a very worthy charity 10k and worthy of support which is why I selected it.
May: Excalibur marathon at Mount Famau in Wales, a 26.2 mile mountain range marathon that traverses the Clywdian range with a total climb/ascent of 5,500ft .Organised by Claire House to raise funds for them every year.
June: Liverpool Rock'N'Roll half marathon in and around Liverpool and it's sights.I did the full marathon last year, but this is only 2 weeks after my above Excalibur marathon so am having to go for the shorter option to recover fully.
July: Btr Tour of Merseyside, a 6 day running tour around Merseyside as follows:
Day 1: Southport Half Marathon 13.2 miles.
Day 2: Thurstaston Multi Terrain 10k.
Day 3: Sustrans Cycle Trail 10 miler.
Day 4: Hale Village Road Race 5 miler.
Day 5: Stadt Moers Park Cross Country 6 miler.
Day 6: Wirral Coastal Run 12 miler.
All 6 runs will be counted in my 14 run campaign as they are all challenging runs on their own, and the whole event totals 52 miles in one week, an extremely tiring event over the week, and this one requires me taking the whole week of work as a holiday!
July: Adidas TR24, a 24 hour 10k team relay event over a trail course at Catton Park in Derbyshire.I will be running at least 4 x 10k laps throughout the 24hr event and will total at least 24.8 miles by doing so, with no sleep.
August: I have created a new charity event to take off from where my previous charity event last year the Seaside24hr charity relay left off, and it will be ideal training for my biggest run this year the City to Sea 53 miler in Sept.
This new event is called the Seaside24-Pier to Pier 35 mile challenge and will be a team of runners running from South Pier in Blackpool to Southport Pier in my hometown. It will officially be my first Ultra Marathon and will in itself be for 3 charities one of them being THHN the charity I am running the 14runs campaign for.
The Seaside24 event has it's own Twitter page at:
https://twitter.com/Seaside_24
and it's own Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/seaside24
September: THHN City to Sea 53, a 53 mile ultra marathon from Exeter to Babbacombe Downs in Torbay to raise money for the Torbay Holiday Helpers Network which is the charity I am actually running for this year.This will undoubtedly be my hardest challenge ever and will be the main challenge of the charity campaign for me.
October: Snowdonia marathon, a 26.2 mile marathon around Snowdon and it's surrounding valleys.Another very tough challenge.
Please note that the smaller 10k runs etc have been selected to fit in and around my training for the bigger and harder events, and for me to show support for fellow worthy charity causes.
Social Media :
I have a dedicated Facebook page which will be the main hub for all information for the 14RUNS The Sequel charity running campaign, and it can be found at the web address below.
https://www.facebook.com/15RUNS/
Please note the 15RUNS in the web address, is correct.
I also have a Twitter page in which you can get regular updates and posts at :
https://twitter.com/14RUNS
The story so far, new and old sponsors, and a list of thank you's....
My running challenge and charity campaign for 2014 comprised of 14 runs over different terrain and distances and they were all completed by the end of Aug 2014 any one who has read my previous blogs will know all about my exploits from 2014, and if not they are all available elsewhere on this main blog page.
I have chosen to continue with the 14 run theme by choosing some new goals and running challenges for 2015 and I am going to do some of the other distance varieties like Ultras, mountain marathons and hill marathons , along with a selection of smaller charity runs to fit around my training for the bigger, harder and longer events/challenges etc and to show support for fellow charity causes.
I was during 2014 very honored to of been given a personal discount on all my running gear needs throughout my campaign by a very kind supplier the Ultra Marathon Running Store based in the UK, and I have recently been given it for 2015 as well.
http://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com/
I am currently also Graced with a generous discount on my compression clothing needs by a great UK company called Red Venom who are also one of the sponsors of my hometown's Half Marathon, and they make a quality range of gear at a third of the price of some of their competitors.
http://redvenom.co.uk/
They also gave me a pair of compression calf guards for free as well in 2014 .
A big thank you also to Vital events for speaking to Red Venom on my behalf and securing the discount and freebie for me.Vital Events put on various sporting events throughout the North West including a local Triathlon and Half Marathon.
A big thank you to them for 2015 as they have agreed to sponsor me this year in my challenges .
http://www.vitalevents.co.uk/
An extra special and BIG THANK YOU also to Colin from Holmes-Smith Butchers in Southport for sponsoring me for the full cost of the Hoka's and for helping me with my nutritional needs in 2014, long may it continue.
An extra thank you for agreeing to sponsor me in 2015 as well.
I also have another new sponsor who have helped me in the past with my nutritional needs in 2014 and now 2015 51 Trattoria, an Italian restaurant on the Promenade in Southport and just across the road from where I work. A very nice restaurant and they have agreed to sponsor me in 2015 .
http://www.trattoria51.com/
A big thank you also to my employers Ramada Plaza Southport who have come on board this year and agreed to sponsor me in 2015 .
http://www.ramadaplazasouthport.co.uk/
A thank you to Henry's Deli on Hesketh Drive in Southport also for coming on board as a sponsor, and also for being one of my training pit stops for coffee&cake on a regular basis.
http://www.henrysdeli.co.uk/
Final thank you to Sam at Run Geek who produced my custom designed running t-shirts and sorted out all the design work for putting the sponsors logo's and the 14RUNS logo's on for me.
Run geek are a supplier of running clothing, footwear and running accessories, you can find them at the following link:
http://www.rungeek.co.uk/
The charity it is all for:
As ever there needs to be a sense of purpose and cause otherwise I would probably give up after the first difficult run .So as always it will all be for charity.
This year I have chosen to run for a fairly new and worthy charity cause THHN Torbay Holiday Helpers Network who were set up by a fellow runner Luke Tillen down in Torbay.
The charity provides vital holiday accommodation and respite for families who have children with serious illnesses, bereaved families who have children, and families with children who have a terminally ill parent from all across the UK by sending them on free holidays, not just to Torbay but to destinations across the country and abroad., they also provide a wide range of free activities from fellow local businesses to help improve their holiday time away, they also fund grants for travel costs for families that couldn't otherwise attend what could be the last chance of a holiday together for some.
Please read about them here :
http://www.thhn.co.uk/
On a final note.....
Please follow my blog and follow my dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages for 14runs The Sequel, and most importantly please follow the links for the fundraising page and make a donation to the THHN charity and make all my efforts worthwhile, I'd at least like to make some childrens lives a happier one wherever possible and especially if their years are likely to be less than ours.
Here is the all important link to the Justgiving page for my campaign and all donations go direct to the THHN charity, please add Gift Aid where possible if you are a tax payer:
https://www.justgiving.com/14runsthesequel
