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Great South Run 2005
Aiden, Bryce and Morgan
London Marathon 2000
As always having a great time running
London Marathon 1996
As always having a great time running
and raising money for a good cause
I’ve been working for B&Q as a Management Accountant for four years in B&Q’s Head Office in Chandlers Ford. This was my third attempt to win the Hero Award and although I made it to the final the previous two years, this year my persistence paid off!
My achievement was kept a complete surprise from me, right up until our Chief Executive, Ian Cheshire, announced it at an awards ceremony in November. I’d been told all three other finalists were at the awards ceremony, when actually they weren’t – it was just me all along!
Having wanted to win so much for the previous two years, it was rather an emotional moment when I found out I’d actually won – that’s why I look such an emotional wreck in most of the photos from that night!
I’ve been running and entering organised events since I was a teenager and enjoy it enormously. I’ve completed the London Marathon three times and last year took park in the Great South Run in Portsmouth.
It is a number of years since I’ve completed a marathon, so I’ve really started having to train again. I’ve certainly never attempted to run as many miles as I’m hoping to achieve this year and I’ve actually never run outside England, so some of the conditions I’ll be running in this year – extreme heat and, hopefully, cold – will be completely new to me.
I’m really excited though, I’ve received so many messages of support and encouragement. What has been genuinely surprising to me is that many of these have come from people I’ve never even met. I had a call last week from somebody who works for B&Q in Scotland to tell me he’d heard about what I was doing and was delighted because his daughter also has CF. Calls and messages like this just seek to remind me that what I’m doing will not only directly help those with CF but also provides encouragement for those in supporting roles. Please keep your messages, support and donations coming in - after the first 100 miles your message or donation may be just what spurs me on to run the next 100 miles.
