Well I have completed the race and my quads are feeling it today!!!!

I managed to complete the half marathon (13.2 miles) in 1hr 41 mins. This made me the first lady back to the MND tent, position number 3293 (out of 54,000) and the 273rd woman.

I felt really strong throughout the race and was 'taking over' people most of the time - which is very difficult with 21,000 people in front of you. My calves started to tighten around 10 miles and this slowed me a little but once the rain started and I could smell the sea air, I managed to keep a good pace.

Having spent an emotional start with Suzanne (Mary's daughter), I completed the race and immediately went to the MNDA tent. Suzanne and the wonderful MND staff welcomed me with lots of hugs and congratulations, a lovely cup of tea and a beautiful buffet of food. It was great to see them all again and even better to see how busy the stand became throughout the afternoon. The association really are making a difference to sufferers and their families lives.  

Having spoken to Brian, the Head of Research, it was great to hear about the developments they are making in terms of understanding the causes and treatments of this terrible disease. It was however, heartbreaking to see some of the sufferers, including a young handsome man in his twenties, in their wheelchairs. It made every step worth running so thank you all for your donations.

I will be running it again next year as this is the 5th anniversary of when Mary joined us.......so please can you pencil this in your diary :-)

Lots of love and best wishes,

Amanda (Mandy) xxxx

 

Many of you will recall myself and a group of friends running in the Great North Run in 2007 and 2008; the year that Mary joined us in the race and the sad year that Mary passed away.

We have continued to raise both awareness of MND and financial support for research into a cure. Our current tribute fund is over £33,000!!!

I will continue to support the MND association in the hope that there will be a cure to this terrible disease. For those of you that don't know, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurones (the things that control muscles). Degeneration of the motor neurones leads to weakness and wasting of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing. www.mndassociation.org

Mary was a lovely, kind, caring, energetic lady who developed this illness. It took all of the things we take for granted away from her, like walking, talking, eating. Despite this, Mary stayed strong and positive and diverted what energy she had into fundraising for MND association.  

The Great North Run is one way that I feel I can help the MND association but also remember Mary. I would appreciate your support for MND by sponsoring me for this half marathon. I have invested some time into training so I feel certain that I will finish. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

Many thanks to you all.

Amanda (Mandy) xx

(Some photies are attached to the left)