We ran The Yorkshire Marathon 2016

ALL DONATIONS WELCOME!!!!!!!

Why you cry, are you mad? Quite possibly yes, but for good reasons . . .

It all started “Up North” in 2015 after a day of drinking nice ales and wine in a number of haunts around Sheffield,including the area of ale greatness known as Kelham Island. The Northern Collective consisted of me (Stella), my sister Pat, my brother in law Dave (aka Condor), Jane and Phil. 

We finished in the Sheffield Tap drinking with Phil and Jane while they awaited the arrival of their train back to Stafford. It was then that talk turned to birthdays and running. 

Phil was going to turn 50 in 2016, and had run many marathons, along with halfs and 10Ks   in his younger days. I, already 50, had come to outdoor running later in life in 2009 and had run a couple of marathons, a few halfs and some 10Ks. Phil it turned out had been a good fast runner, getting very decent timings, I had more of the ‘slow but determined to finish’ timings.  

Phil decided that running a marathon was on his list of things to do at 50 . . . I, excitedly and possibly fuelled more by alcohol than common sense agreed this was an excellent idea and agreed to run it with him. We pre-registered for the York Marathon that evening from our respective abodes, both checking that the other was had done this and was not backing out, and all that awaited us was the actual day of registration– 4^th January 2016.

The 4^th came and both of us, again in our respective locations  applied online, again both checking that the other had done it and that neither of us had backed out  in the sober light of day when the reality of what we were doing kicked in.

. . . And so we’re in it, we are taking part in the 26.2 mile race around the lovely touristy city of York. Training has been hard for both of us, there have been low points with adverse weather conditions, injuries and tight training schedules, but we are persevering because it’s worth it!

And why is it worth it you ask? Well, because .. . and here comes the serious part . . . although we have a guaranteed place and are not obliged to raise any money for anyone, we both felt that we should. 

Although there are many amazing and worthy causes to raise money for, we felt that HospiceUK was the one we wanted to represent.  

On average adult hospices receive only 32% of their funding from the government,with the rest coming from fundraising. However, the level of statutory funding varies widely across the country.

On a personal level, we have had first-hand experience of our local Hospices. The care, compassion, empathy and love that all the staff gave to our loved ones and us at a time of great sadness was exceptional,helping make them through their time  peacefully and pain free. 

So this is our Last Hurrah to the Olympian distance of 26.2 miles and we would really value your support for our cause.

Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice care, they champion and support the work of more than 200 member organisations,which provide hospice care across the UK, so that they can deliver the highest quality of care to people with terminal or life-limiting conditions, and support their families. 

They believe that everyone matters all the way through their life until the moment they die, and that no one should die in avoidable pain, suffering or emotional distress. They want to make sure that everyone with a life-limiting or terminal condition gets the very best care, and believe hospices are critical to achieving this. 

The hospice care sector supports at least 120,000 people with terminal and life-limiting conditions each year. This increases to around 360,000 people when their family members are included.

Hospices have an important role in supporting people’s families, especially in providing bereavement support. Hospices care for people with a wide range of conditions including cancer, motor neurone disease, cardio-vascular diseases,multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Hospices are also increasingly supporting people with multiple life-limiting conditions including dementia.

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