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Paul Moore - Reading Half Marathon 2011
21st March 2011 and I woke to the rather singular experience of scabs on my nipples (more on that later!). Mission accomplished and Pricey and I would like to thank each of our donors and those that supported us wholeheartedly for their consideration and thoughtfulness. At time of writing, over £3500 has been raised for Autistica at www.justgiving.com/paul-moore5 and Pricey has raised even more, see www.justgiving.com/daveandjacob2011
The PAIN - yeah, you all want to hear about it, and suffice to say, it was hurting so bad by the end of the run, the bleeding nipples were not even noticed by yours truly until we took the post run shots and Pricey casually remarked "your nipples are bleeding, mate" Pricey hit a superb time of 1:54:12 which is PHENOMENAL as he pushed his autistic son Jacob the whole way. I stayed with Dave until the 10th mile, but was starting to flag at this point while Pricey was prancing about like a young thouroughbred on hot mash. So we clapped hands and parted at this point and off he went, taking 4 minutes out of my time in the last 3 miles - bloody youngsters. An amazing result for him, he got a huge roar as he came in to the stadium which I heard outside the park. A real buzz for David and Jacob and summed up the support of the crowd and other runners - thanks, by the way, to the runner who stuffed £10 in to our hands as we ran past him. I finished on 1:58:41 just ducking under the 2 hour target I had set myself for the run.
THE DAY - highly recommended, the atmosphere was superb. 19,000 runners, some brilliant bands playing around the course and Pricey and I parting the traffic with our "chariot". Jacob had a great time, thoroughly enjoying the crowds and giving it a Mexican wave when the crowds really got vocal. A massive experience made remarkable by the fact that our friends who came to support, spotted us in the melee as we pounded through Reading town centre. Thanks Tracy, Fran and Charlotte.
THE MADNESS - even as I limped around town with Pricey just an hour after the finish, calves cramped, back hurting like hell and nipples still bleeding, we are planning a Reading re-run, determined to Finish together. The theory is, Dave will be another year older and Jacob will be bigger and heavier. Spot the flaw? I'LL be another year older, but obviously not wiser, but, hey, you have to have something to work towards in life! Where will it all end??
(Thanks to the fantastic Reading crowd and the crew at Autistica for their encouragement and support, keep up the good work for kids like Jacob and Families like Pricey)
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Dave entered five fundraising events for Autistica in summer 2010
"I normally run pushing Jacob (who is 9 years old) in his special wheelchair. We have competed in six 10K events together and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. He loves the movement and the atmosphere of the events - he is often urging me to go faster and never likes having to stop at the finish! Sadly I can't push him in the London Marathon but he is still my inspiration and motivation for running.. I run for all of those affected by autism but most especially Jacob."
Emma Meaburn and Natasha Kirkham - Turbo X Trail
Emma Meaburn and Natasha Kirkham took part in the Turbo X Trail run in November 2010. A mad, muddy 10 mile run said to 'satisfy the most hardcore of off road runners'! The infamous natural assault course of water, sand, marsh and muck has a hidden twist… the X Zone - a 1 to 2 miles section of the craziest terrain to push the stamina, agility and perseverance to the limit. Emma and Natasha had to wade through watery wildness, clamber through mud, sand and bog - charging their way through the roughest off road track imaginable!
Both Emma and Natasha are involved in autism research at the School of Psychology, Birkbeck University, London.
After the race, Emma said:
"I don't think I can do justice to the sheer craziness of the race. I have never seen (or smelt!) mud like it. At one stage we had to swim (!) across a ravine, and I also got stuck in the mud and had to be hauled out by a burly man in army fatigues.It truly was a great day out! There was quite a lot of swearing though!".
I'd happily recommend it to people.
Bernard entered five fundraising events for Autistica in summer 2010
"This summer I am have entered five events to raise money for Autistica. It is a charity very close to my heart as it funds research into the causes of Autism.
The first event was the King of the Downs, a tough cycle race of 115 miles with 9000 feet of ascending in warm conditions. After an 8 hour and 34 minute ordeal, I felt like my sponsors had already got value for
money! The second event was the Windsor Triathlon (1.5km swim, 42km bike and 10km run) which I completed in 2 hours 39 minutes and 56 seconds - which I am very pleased about, after being concussed after a bike accident the week before! Just 12 days after Windsor, I will be heading off to Paris in the 550km London to Paris bike ride, followed by the Vitruvian Triathlon (1.9km swim, 85km bike and 21km run) in September. I will complete my summer challenge with the Royal Parks Half Marathon, running with a
number of other fund raisers for Autistica. The total distance covered by my 5 challenges will be 910.4 km and I am hoping to raise £7,000 for this worthy cause."
Graham took part in the 3-Peaks Challenge in May 2010
"Basically the Three Peaks challenge is the hardest challenge I have ever undertaken and
made the London Marathon seem like a jog in the park. We started to climb Ben Nevis at 7-00am and I did not expect to be standing in a blizzard at the top in May! At 12-00pm we were back in the minibus heading for Scafell which we began to climb at 6-30pm I would like to say the scenery from the top was wonderful but I couldn't see a thing! By 12-00 midnight we were back in the minibus and heading for Snowdon which we started to climb 5 hours later. I have never been so tired, as when I was climbing Snowdon and the relief of reaching the top was unbelievable. If anyone wants to push their body to the extreme with a mixture of physical effort and sleep deprivation then this is the challenge for you!!"
Richard ran in the Virgin London Marathon, April 2010
"Autism is a subject I really care about. People with autism can have substantial difficulties with communication, relationship building and understanding the world around them. It affects half a million people in the UK. I have two fantastic children. My son who is ten has high functioning autism. He is a lovely, friendly boy who enjoys basketball, Tang Soo Do and playing the keyboard. I feel very blessed to have two wonderful kids. However we have needed a lot of help along the way. With this in mind I chose to run for Autistica. I ran the marathon in 5 hours 17 minutes and 6 seconds - a new "Personal Best" and I really enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was fantastic - there was lots of music and incredibly enthusiastic crowds. I began by running an 11 minute mile, which seemed ok but got very tired. But I got through it and....bring on the next one! Massive thanks to everyone who has supported me through this with sponsorship and encouragement. It has really helped."
Loekie organised a Garden Party
"For several years I have organised a garden party for various charities. However, when my grandson Harvey was diagnosed with autism at the age of two I decided that Autistica needed publicity and support. Harvey is almost 6 now and this is the 3rd Garden Party we have held for this worthwhile charity. For the first time Harvey was present at the party, together with his parents Janine and Nick and 2 year old sister Bea. He soon discovered the joys of throwing stones (the bigger the better!) in the pond and loved the straw hat he found at the bric-a-brac stall. I get a lot of support from friends and family and they all help man the various stalls with cakes, crafts, plants, books and bric-a-brac. The Ploughman's lunches are hugely popular as are the cream teas in the afternoon. Like last year, Elise, my 9 year-old next door neighbour, made dried flower bookmarks and this time raised £20! A handmade patchwork quilt, made by four friends and myself, was raffled and raised about £260!! So we shall soon start stitching again for next year. I hope that my experiences will inspire others. Please contact me if you need any tips! And I almost forget to mention that we made £1110.00!"
Dan ran in the 56 mile Comrades Ultra Marathon, South Africa in May 2010
"My son Ollie was diagnosed with autism in 2007 aged just 2yrs old. He is making enormous strides forward through the intervention Applied Behavioural Analysis. My wife Caroline and I are immeasurably proud of his achievements and are amazed every day by the new and incredible things he can do. Autism is a behavioural disorder that is widely talked about, misunderstood and quickly brushed aside. Its can cause great suffering to those affected, individuals and families alike. The emotional burden often overwhelming, autism's costs to society and the economy are astronomical and the funding for research into the causes and treatments are minimal. I cannot recall exactly when, but in the last few years I had heard of the Comrades ultra-marathon that takes place every year in South Africa between Pietermaritzburg and Durban and last year, I decided that this would be my challenge for 2010. I was hoping to finish in under the 12 hours permitted and…I can tell you I did it in under 10.5 hours, coming 6470th out of 23,500 – although only 14,000 finished. My wife tells me that I ran 10 miles for 30 mins over mountains which had to be seen to be believed! I completely under-estimated the severity of the enormous mountain range I had to cross. I am utterly, utterly finished!!!! I would like to send out a huge thank you to everyone without whose support I would have never made it. Especially my amazing wife who has to put up with my stress!!!"
