Hi readers! I'm Abi. I'm an Editor in Macmillan's Cancer Information Development team and I also manage this blog. But recently, I’ve been doing my bit for Macmillan outside of work too, by taking part in the London Marathon – did anyone else take part in this event yesterday? Share your photos on Facebook and Twitter and make sure you tag Macmillan!
There are a few reasons why I chose to run my first ever marathon (and probably my last!) for Macmillan. I do enjoy volunteering and fundraising, but I’d never done anything for Macmillan before. And since working here, I’ve seen first-hand the great work that Macmillan does and how much it’s needed. I also have many close friends who have been affected by cancer in some way. Some of my friends have had treatment for cancer in the past, or are undergoing treatment right now.
I wanted to do something to help. And what better way than to take part in a physical challenge like the marathon – it’s a positive experience and a fun event, it brings people together, it raises a tonne of money and it would encourage me to get fit and do some exercise. It’s an all-round winner. So I applied for a charity place with Macmillan, and to my surprise was offered one! Every single person that I know who’s been affected by cancer is part of the reason why I filled out that application form. And I thought of all of them while I was running.
Obviously not everyone can take part in a marathon, but there are loads of ways you can fundraise for Macmillan – from walks, runs and treks to social events and simply hosting a ‘Night In’. If you do fancy the London Marathon next year, you can apply for a charity place with Macmillan. Or visit www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com on 22 April for a general ballot place, which you can still use to fundraise for Macmillan.
Well, the big day for all the 36,000 marathon runners of 2014 was yesterday. The weather was gorgeous and the crowd was superb. The atmosphere was buzzing and everyone was smiling (apart from some of the runners!)
At mile 13 I was just excited to see my sister!...
I was also excited to be given those all-important jelly babies!...
And I could not have made it through the course without these fantastic guys cheering us all on…
I honestly don’t think I could have run 26 miles if it wasn’t for the crowd. From the moment we set off from Greenwich Park, heading towards the ‘Mile 1’ marker, the crowd were there for us. They cheered, handed out jelly babies, gave us high-fives and even shouted your name if you had it printed on your top. In the residential areas, families were gathered in their front gardens to watch and support us, people were hanging out of their windows waving and cheering, and we went past lots of live bands who’d come out to play music as we passed. It was like a street festival along some parts of the course. The drums were especially motivating! The pubs were all getting involved too, and there was a real community feel to it all. We even went past a fire station where they’d got a fire engine out and were hosing down the runners! – it was getting pretty hot as morning turned to afternoon.
If there’s any kind of fundraising event happening near you, I’d definitely recommend getting involved and going along to watch. It makes such a difference those taking part! And it seemed like it was a fun day out for the spectators too. During the marathon, I powered through the first 13 miles seemingly on just the energy of the crowd. It was amazing. Have a look at Macmillan’s upcoming events (including next year’s London Marathon – fancy it?!) and consider whether you’d like to go along and support an event.
At miles 18–22 I think I experienced what they call ‘the wall’ (which I didn’t think would last quite so long!) It felt like my feet were glued to the floor at every step. At one point, three people overtook me in quick succession and I thought the breeze from them passing me would knock me over. But just as the tears started welling up, someone in the crowd shouted “Come on Abi – save face!” And so I kept going. I thought about all the money that my generous sponsors had given, and the fact that I’d chosen to run the marathon and no one had forced me to do it! I also thought about all my friends whose lives have been affected by cancer, and how this struggle to complete the run was nothing in comparison to that. For the last few miles, I just thought about why I was doing this – to raise money to help people living with cancer.
Finally, at 15:09, after 4 hours and 46 minutes of running, I crossed the finish line. I had completed the London Marathon and raised £2,290.13 for Macmillan! So I was pretty chuffed (if a bit sore)!…
I’m so glad I took part in this event, and I’d recommend it to anyone who feels able to do it. It takes training, but it's doable. And if you don’t fancy a marathon, there are so many other ways you can get involved and do your bit.
If you want to donate to Macmillan and support the life-changing work they do every day, you can do this easily at www.macmillan.org.uk/donate Or you can contribute to my marathon effort at www.justgiving.com/Abigail-Howse-1
I’ll finish by saying THANK YOU. Thank you to everyone who sponsored me. Thank you to my friends and family for supporting me through the training. Thank you to everyone who ran for Macmillan in this year’s marathon. And to anyone who sponsored a Macmillan runner. Thank you to everyone who came down to show their support at the event yesterday. And thank you to all the other charity runners raising money for other great causes. It was a really inspirational day and I hope anyone who attended or watched it on TV enjoyed it as much as I did!
