My Annual Maggies Wirral Fundraiser Challenge!

This year my challenge is the UTS50 (a 55km Ultra Mountain Marathon in Snowdonia) - UTS50 is “beautiful beyond belief, savage beyond reason….”. 

Pippa & I benefited from all the services so generously provided by the extraordinary Team at Maggies Wirral. Maggies was for Pippa & me the softest of places to land at the hardest of times. 

So now it’s time for me to give something back to Maggies & keep my promises made to my precious Pippa. 

What is the UTS50 Race: 

UTS = Ultra Trail Snowdonia

50 = 55km long 4 mountains & Snowdon twice 

10,000f of elevation

Maximum time allowed for race 14 hours or DNF

So why, let me explain! I have been training for 6 months for this epic challenge, it’s been my way to make sense of a time in my life that makes no sense. I needed to find a challenge that frightened me & the UTS50 makes me want to S my P’s! And I needed a challenge that makes you feel “wow, if he does this, I will happily give Maggies some money”. I have done 2 training runs on the course so far & I can’t tell you how brutal they were! Each mile a moment of real self discovery, a journey into the unknown for me physically, mentally & emotionally. But knowing what my precious Pippa battled with makes my mountain miles feel like “light-work”, Pippas battle, Pippas warrior like attitude powers my ever step. I talk to Pippa nonstop as I run, I reflect on Pippas journey, her super human strength, her highs & lows. I also walk around Maggies in my minds-eye as I run & I see the amazing Team at Maggies, I see their welcoming faces & as Pippa says that Maggies makes you feel as you walking into a big cuddle. I also see the brave warriors battling Cancer who walk into Maggies & the pain in their loved ones faces. 

So with the Race is looming large & if you feel you can/want to donate to Maggies I can guarantee you that your money will make a powerful difference to people’s lives, for example £300 pays for a counsellor for a day & I am back on the 18th of this month to see the Maggies psychiatrist as she helps me through this torturous time.I spoke so much to Pippa about this Race, when to post this Just Giving page, the content, the wording, using the video Maggies made. Pippa knew the training for this race kept my head on my shoulders when it felt like it was about to fall off. It’s been a powerful mental health tool, laser focused on seeing my precious Pippas face as I crossed the finishing line & if I am honest with you the idea of not seeing Pippas smile at the end of the UTS50 crushes me, but the knowing she will be with me every step, looking down, fills my heart & will carry me round.❤️🙏❤️