What's it all about?...
So I came to the realisation recently that a fair few people will of stumbled across my running blog here, and may not actually know who I am and what it is all actually about.
For this reason I recently updated my 'Running with Gru' Facebook charity running page description to get it upto date and inline with my new fundraising plans for 2016.
That Facebook page is closely linked with this blog as my blogs are usually race reports from events I have done as part of my charity fundraising over recent years. That Facebook page and indeed this blog was originally titled '14 RUNS' which was my charity running campaign title in 2014 and 2015.
I renamed this blog and the Facebook page 'Running with Gru' to get it ready for 2016 and onwards and to bring it inline with my other charity fundraising project a Facebook charity running group titled 'Run or Cake...We run for cake and charity, what else is there?'
Run or Cake, a brief intro...
The group was set up in Feb 2015 by myself as a way of encouraging runners in their training and supporting them, and at the same time raising money for a total of 4 and recently now 5 charities along the way.
It has indeed been far more successful than I ever dreamed of and as of this week we have raised over £1800 inc gift aid merely by collecting 50p forfeit payments off our runners in the group each time they fail to meet their self set weekly run targets.
The group has a fantastic bunch of fairly local and friendly runners who I know from my various running circles, and were all invited to join by myself or other members of the group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/761659000585116/
Where does 'Gru' fit into this?
Well my nickname in Run or Cake is 'Gru' as I rightly or wrongly see the members of the group as my running minions (in a loving friendly way of course) and try my best to watch over them and look after them as I go along.
I also have a group of Adminions (get it?) who help monitor the runners and their individual targets and they give regular supportive comments and advice and support when needed.
In 2016 the group is continuing to succeed with ongoing donations and new members, although I have capped the membership at 100 members and I carefully consider requests to join the group on a local to the group basis and a friends in the group already basis. This enables members to easily get on with each other and support each other as they are often already friends and well known to each other.
My Running with Gru exploits for 2016 will mainly entail me running with fellow members of Run or Cake on a social and running support basis, as I try to enjoy my running events more with less pressure over speed and time and less pressure on my own individual fundraising total.
My fundraising link on Running with Gru has now also been changed to the Run or Cakes fundraising page as I hope to raise small amounts as I go along, but add them to the groups efforts.
Please support myself and our runners where you can by making donations via the Virginmoneygiving link on this page, which will automatically split the donation between our 5 charities which are all mentioned on our fundraising page.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/runorcake
Another project...
I do have another charity project which is the now yearly 'Seaside24' run which you should be able to see a blog about back in October 2015 and also back in Sept 2014.
It does have it's own Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and pictures and of course a fundraising link.
The Seaside24 in it's first year was set up by myself as a charity run to raise funds for a charity called Chuf - Children's Heart Unit Fund, which is a charity based at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and deals particularly with heart operations etc on often very young babies and children. They operated on the baby of a former colleague, and as work colleagues were organizing a fundraising charity ball I decided to set up the charity run to run alongside it on the day.
In it's first year the event involved a team of runners running relay around our local seaside marine lake for a total of 24 hours and we raised over £1600 inc gift aid.
We also raised money for another local charity Community Link Foundation who help people in the local area with money towards much needed items and grants.
In 2015 I organized the Seaside24 again, this time for THHN- Torbay Holiday Helpers Network and again Chuf. this time we took it up a notch distance wise and we ran Seaside pier to Seaside pier by running from Blackpool South Pier to Southport Pier, a distance of 35 miles. This time we had a team of 10 runners and we all completed the distance together as a group. It was a fun day with lots of pictures a long the way, and we managed to raise over £1400 inc gift aid this time.
In 2016 the Seaside24 is returning for a third time, this time running around the marine lake again, but this time it will not be a relay. The entire team have committed to individually running (with a bit of walking at times) for the 24 hours. They can have rests and breaks when they like and they can retire early if they overdo it, but this will be a tough one. Some of us are going for 50+ and 75+ miles as a personal target.
The charities for this year are being finalised as I type as I await confirmation so I can set up a joint fundraising page for the donations to go to.
Please follow our exploits on the Facebook link here and by all means search us out on Twitter under Seaside24.
https://www.facebook.com/seaside24
https://twitter.com/Seaside_24
Anyway this was supposed to be a brief update about the various fundraising projects to help link everything together. I am leaving you with a 'copy and paste' from the page description section from my 'Running with Gru' Facebook page as I have just updated that and left a back story in there as well about myself and my fundraising since it's beginning in 2012. You can probably skip through a few sections of it as I have probably repeated a lot above.
Thank you all for your time, and indeed for past support , encouragement and in some cases donations.
Kind regards,
Gru :)
The 'copy and paste' from the Facebook page description....
Intro and a little about me:
I am 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.
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 because as someone once said "A life not lived for others, is a life not lived".
I have been charity running since 2012 when I first started running and raised money for Age UK and Clic Sargent during my first year.
In 2013 I carried on fundraising after a close friend of mine died and I started fundraising for Mind, I did my first marathon in this year dedicating it to my friend's memory.
In 2014 I continued raising money for mind with my 14RUNS charity running campaign.
I also set up my own charity run concept the 'Seaside24' in 2014 which entailed a 24 hour relay run around my local Marine Lake. We fundraised for 2 charities at that event raising over £1600.
I repeated the 14RUNS campaign in 2015, but this time for THHN Torbay Holiday Helpers Network who give free holidays and free holiday accommodation to seriously ill children or bereaved families with children who have lost parents
Again in 2015 I organized another 'Seaside24' event, this time as a 35 mile Ultra from one seaside resort Blackpool to another Southport. Again raising money for 2 charities, just over£1400.
(Please note: This Facebook pages previous title was 14RUNS The Sequel and was the follow on from my original 14RUNS campaign from 2014, and ran through until the end of Oct 2015).
Now in 2016 the 14runs campaign is being renamed 'Running with Gru' to tie in with my charity running blogs new name, and to tie in with my other charity fundraising project 'Run or Cake'
https://www.facebook.com/groups/761659000585116/
I am trying to move away from all the physical pressure of me doing harder and harder events and am moving onto being a facilitator to fundraising by creating various fundraising concepts which involve group fundraising. This gives my body a rest, but certainly not my mind, time or commitment.
I will continue to run in 2016 and raise a little along the way but it will all go to my charity running groups fundraising page for 'Run or Cake' which raises money for 5 different charities with it's unique Run or Cake concept.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/runorcake
Running with Gru will become a running for fun concept as I run in multiple events alongside some of my fellow fundraising members of Run or Cake throughout the year, supporting them and encouraging them where I can.
I will write an accompanying blog/review for each event I run and include my fellow runners in the blog, hopefully recording a great event and a great run with friends..
The original fundraising link has now changed to the new one which is the fundraising link for my charity running group 'Run or Cake' which I set up in Feb 2015, and will still raise funds for THHN alongside another 4 charities, Mind, Alder Hey Children's Hospice, Claire House Children's Hospice and MAMA Academy which is a stillbirth awareness charity.
SOCIAL MEDIA :
I have a 'Running with Gru' blog at the following web address for all my 2014/2015 and now 2016 exploits:
http://runningwithgru.blogspot.co.uk/
I am also on Twitter as Gru@RunningwithGru
https://twitter.com/RunningwithGru
This Facebook page will be the main hub for running related stuff and updates about my runs and fundraising, as well as the Twitter page so please follow them regularly if you can as your support is greatly appreciated and helps to motivate me throughout the year.
A little more detail about my previous exploits in 2014 and 2015:
2014: My running challenge and charity campaign comprised of 14 runs over different terrain and distances, mainly 10k's, half marathons, marathons, 24 hour events and multiday events,and they were all completed by the end of Aug 2014, I carried on running until Nov, hitting 20+ runs.
2015: I continued with the 14 runs theme by selecting another 14 running challenges again 10k's, halfs, fulls, 24hr events, multiday events and this time a 35 mile ultra charity run I set up.Despite gaining a repetitive hamstring injury in June I ended up doing a lot more than 14 in the end again, but finished the year still with hamstring issues. This convinced me to look after myself more and ease the pressure by aiding others to fundraise.
2014 and 2015 SPONSORS:
I was graced with a selection of sponsors who helped me in 2014 and then again in 2015 who stood up and backed me all the way and helped me cover some costs by paying some sponsorship.
My employer Ramada Plaza Southport came on board in 2015 and backed me and I thank them for this.
During 2014 and 2015 I was very honored to of been given a personal discount on all my running gear needs throughout my campaign by a very kind supplier the Ultramarathonrunningstore.com based in the UK.
A very big thank you to them.
http://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com/
A big thank you also to Vital Events who 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 agreed to come on board in 2015 as a sponsor
Take a look here: 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 that I mainly run in, and for helping me with my nutritional needs in 2014 and 2015.
I also had another new sponsor who have helped me in the past with my nutritional needs.
51 Trattoria, an Italian restaurant on the Promenade in Southport and just across the road from where I work. A very nice restaurant who agreed to sponsor me in 2015 :
http://www.trattoria51.com/
I'd also like to thank Sam and Run Geek.co.uk for their help in getting my custom designed running t-shirt designed and printed up with the 14RUNS logo's and the sponsor names etc and for doing the work for free.
RunGeek is a supplier of running clothing,footwear and running accessories etc and can be found at the following web address:
http://www.rungeek.co.uk/
Watch this space folks, and please support me along the way
Sponsors as ever will always be welcome so please get in touch through here.
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