Tom Solomon
The Running Mad Professor
Fundraising for Encephalitis International
Story
WE DID IT!!
Four Hours, Twenty One Minutes and Nine Seconds – We did it!! The Guinness World Record for the Fastest Marathon Dressed as a Doctor, and with nearly nine minutes to spare, I don’t know why I was rushing! And I say we, because although I ran all 138,435 feet of the Marathon myself, I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of a fantastic group of family, friends and colleagues many of whom are listed lower down. In the end it was tough, very tough. By the finish I was exhausted and mumbling rubbish, but today I don’t feel too bad!
This is the link for the Guinness World Records page if you want to check it was all kosher, and read about all the other records broken on Sunday http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_London-Marathon-results/BLOG/2315079/7691.html some of which were truly amazing.
On www.Facebook.com/RunningMadProf you can see photos of:
- The Marathon Itself http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=164368&id=311216479434&saved#!/album.php?aid=164368&id=311216479434
With the appearance on BBC’s THE ONE SHOW, and the BBC interviews just before and during the marathon, I had fantastic support from the crowd and other runners, which was a real boost.
BBC ONE Show Guinness Record Attempters: go straight to the 26th minute on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s5gd0/The_One_Show_23_04_2010/
BBC Start Line Live Interview with Jonathon Edwards - go to 55th minute on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s6lnx/London_Marathon_2010_Part_1/
BBC Interview at Canary Wharf (19th mile) with Phil Jones - go to 2 hrs 55 minutes on http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s6k75/London_Marathon_2010_Part_2/
ITV’s Granada Reports on the training http://www.itv.com/granada/the-nutty-professor24541/
The number of hits on the YouTube Video, and the Donations on the Website also exploded: Currently 13,000 hits and £15, 340. Fantastic. Thank you so much to all those that have sponsored over the last couple of days (See message for Recent Sponsors at the Bottom).
Marathon Prizes for guessing the Marathon Time, looks set to go to
- 1st Prize - Juliet Weston who guessed 4:21:00 (just 9 seconds off the actual time)
- 2nd prize - Alan Morgan, 04:20:30
- 3rd Prize - Laura Benjamin 04:20:28
The official adjudicators are doing a final check (!), but if you think you got closer than this, and we missed your email, then please let me know in the next day or two. Otherwise, congratulations to Juliet Alan and Laura – we will be in touch.
Finally, in addition to my thanks to all those who have sponsored, I want to say a Big Thanks to: The missus, Rachel, for... pretty well everything really Rosie and Eva for face-painting and videoing Daisy for styling Leah for helping with the Webstuff Solomon Sisters Pel and Mag (www.solomonsisters.com) for advice on promotion Brother Bruce for help with editing the video Brother Scott for support with the fundraising Jenny and Jim for enlisting the support of seemingly the whole of the South Manchester Bridge community! Michael, June, and family, especially Heidi Maher for lots of marathon tips Wing Commander Colin Vose for some deadly but effective training regimens, and Paul McKay, Phil Coffee, Ben Cribb and Paul Thomas for keeping me going when my legs seemed to have given up. Other local friends, especially Juliet Weston for some extraordinarily tasty flapjacks. Louise Douglas, press officer at the Walton Centre, and her counterparts Helen Kirkham at the Royal and Kate Spark at the University for raising the profile of our efforts, and the folks at Guinness, Virgin, and The BBC for helping me get through the subsequent media blitz. Colleagues at the Walton Centre, the University, and the Brain Infections Group for making allowances for my slightly distracted behaviour (even more so than usual), over the past couple of months, and Shauna Mahoney for holding everything together as always. And finally my friends at the Encephalitis Society Jon Ainly, and Ava Easton for talking me into it in the first place Plus anyone else who I really should have thanked, but have forgotten Message to Recent Sponsors Thank you very much for your donation. It really is appreciated. Up until now I have just about managed to email and thank everyone who has donated individually to thank them, but with the explosion in donations over the last few days, I just can’t keep up! So please accept this joint message. As a sponsor you are in good company!! - More than 560 people have sponsored already from all over the world, including Ward Clerks and Domestics at the Walton Centre, Lord Owen, Dame Nancy Rothwell, head of the MRC Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Rebecca Adlington, and all sorts of others! Donations have ranged from £2 to £500, and any amount is appreciated. We have more than £15,000, but need more! We are aiming to get as many hits on the YouTube video as possible, so please send the link to all your friends to enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPtmXnWj6jk Please go to the Facebook page, if you want to see more photos, details of the sponsors, and some very moving testimony of those affected by encephalitis http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Running-Mad-Professor/311216479434?ref=ts Go to www.encephalitis.info to learn more about the Society, who are doing some really fantastic work.
Thanks Tom
OLDER POSTS
Guess the Marathon Time and Win a Prize
How long will it take the Running Mad Professor to complete the London Marathon? Less than 3 hours? Around 4 and a half? More than 5? Our corporate sponsors have kindly donated prizes to be awarded to whoever guesses the time closest to my actual finish time. - Natterjack Running have offered £100 of running gear from their website see: http://www.natterjack.co.uk/* - There is £50 worth of book vouchers to spend at the online Elsevier Health Sciences Bookstore (of Reed Elsevier) see: http://www.elsevierhealth.com/index.jsp* - Cadbury’s have offered a family trip to Cadbury World see http://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/CadburyWorld/Pages/CadburyWorld.aspx Include in your message a guess for how long it will take (HH;MM;SS - Hours, minutes and seconds); we are using the chip time, for those that understand these things (Or if you have already donated just email tsolomon@liv.ac.uk with your time. Whoever is closest will choose first from the prizes above; the next closest will choose from the remaining two, and the next closest can have what’s left! GUINNESS WORLD RECORD CHALLENGE: The fastest marathon time is 2 hours 3 mins, 59 secs (02:03:59), some Ethiopian fellow called Haile Gebrselassie. The average for men is 4 ½ hours, but then most of them weren’t running in a doctor’s outfit with a stethoscope and white coat on!! However since I am wearing the crazy gear I am going to be trying to set a new Guinness World Record for the Fastest Marathon Time wearing a doctor’s outfit (I blame Louise Douglas, the PR person at the Walton Centre). So keep an eye out for me on the telly on the day!
UPDATE 13th April 2010.
There seems to have been a real rush on the sponsorship, as we get closer to the finishing line - the big day is just 2 weeks away. Thanks very much to all recent donors. We are now at three times the original target ( which was £2600), so I have upped it again - to four times (ie £10,400). Its a big ask, with only 2 weeks left; but challenge seems to be what its all about!
Actually, if you want to know what it is really all about visit http://en-gb.facebook.com/RunningMadProf and click the NOTES tab to read a very moving dedication from one of our donors, whose son sadly died of encephalitis last year.
The Facebook page also has details of our major sponsors (Natterjack Running, and Cadbury's), and all the media coverage, including ITV's Granada Reports news story: A day with their crack (or is it crack-pot) reporter Paul Crone made me feel quite sane! See http://www.itv.com/granada/the-nutty-professor24541/
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THE FULL STORY: I am not quite sure how it happened, but somehow I seem to have agreed to run the London Marathon to raise money for the Encephalitis Society (Click MY VIDEO on the left to see the crazy training schedule!). Encephalitis is inflammation and swelling of the brain usually caused by a virus. I know what a terrible disease it is because it is one of many that we research. The Society support those affected by encephalitis, raises awareness, and funds research.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. They make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. They also accept other currencies if you are overseas. So thanks for any help you can give. It is much appreciated. Please send this web address to your friends if you think they's like to help, or would just enjoy watching the video!! To see out Supporters and Sponsors - scroll down .Thanks.
The Running Mad Professor – The Full Story
I don’t usually do things like this, but events conspired against me!
- I was sitting at Heathrow Airport on my way to Malawi
- I nearly missed the plane from Liverpool because of a sick patient on intensive care
- And I had just received an urgent phone call from the Encephalitis Society
Encephalitis is inflammation and swelling of the brain, usually caused by a virus, or an inappropriate immune response. I have been studying the disease and other brain infections for more than 15 years. With my research group (www.liv.ac.uk/braininfections) and collaborators we work in Asia, Africa (which is why I was on my way to Malawi), and in the UK. The patient in Liverpool was typical of many we care for at the Walton Centre (www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk) where I am Professor of Neurology. A week earlier he was a healthy young man, without a care in the world. Now he was fighting for his life, and even if he recovered, he will probably be left with severe brain damage. The Encephalitis Society support those affected by encephalitis, raise awareness, and fund research (www.encephalitis.info). They work closely with the Walton Centre and University of Liverpool. I have advised them professionally for 15 years, but that day’s phone call was a question I never expected. They had a place for the London Marathon, but their runner had run out: would I run the London Marathon for them? They needed to name a runner within 2 hours or they would lose the place!
The marathon is only 1 month away. I’ve never run one before. As a youngster I hated running, and always played goalkeeper as a consequence! You’re supposed to spend a lot of time training. I thought I better check the diary:
Two courses to organise, three major grants going in; a set of national guidelines to complete; a national study to start; some work for the Medical Research Council; trips to Jo’burg, Frankfurt, Malaysia and maybe Washington; 20 people in the research group to look after, patients on the ward; patients in clinic; two book projects; a couple of review articles to write; four publications ready to finalise and submit; teaching in London and Liverpool; a talk at the local school; four lovely girls to taxi to ballet, gym, brownies, guides (thankfully no horses – yet), birthdays; a few hours needed to devote to the loving wife.
Hmmm! Pretty quiet couple of months then really! It’ll be good to have something to do! I thought I would give it a go. As Madame Rachel says: you are always RUNNING round like a MAD-man anyway – so what’s the difference? She started videoing as I began my training on the way to Malawi, and has kept recording since then! To see the crazy video click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPtmXnWj6jk or search YouTube for Running Mad Professor.
I’m hoping to raise £2600. I reckon if I know I’m getting £100 for every painful mile, I can keep going whatever happens. So many thanks for anything you can give, even if it is just a pound (dollar or euro - you can pay in any currency)!. All expenses are covered, so every penny you give goes to the Encephalitis Society. If, like my dear mother Bopsy you can’t make the website work, you can always just send a cheque to me (payable to the Encephalitis Society) c/o Liverpool Brain Infections Group, Liverpool L69 3GA. Please get in tocuh of you are interested in Corporate Sponsorship, or if you don’t want to donate, but want to help in some other way, (email tsolomon@liv.ac.uk); And if you can’t donate, or help, then just send me a message to wish me luck! It’ll be appreciated.
Supporters and Sponsors
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
University of Liverpool
Royal Liverpool University Hospital
The Encephalitis Society
*Natterjack Running Centre* www.natterjack.co.uk 159 Eastbank Street Southport Merseyside PR8 1EE Tel 01704 546 082
NEWS UPDATES
FUNDRAISING TARGET: We hit the target of £2600 after just over a week. The concensus of those who had aleary donated was to keep going and up the target. We therefore reset the target at £5200, but had now reached that too. The new target is therefore £7800. That would be £300 for every mile, which would be fantastic.
IN THE NEWS: The Running Mad Professor has been featured in local newspapers in the northwest of England, Radio City, and ITV's Granada Reports Programme. Go to the facebook page for more details and links:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Running-Mad-Professor/311216479434?ref=ts