THEY MADE IT!!

Sunday saw our 5 runners complete the amazing feat of running the London marathon!

All 26 miles of it.

They all did so well and we are proud of each one of them.

One of the runners, Vanessa Ashworth who is one of our staff members, made it round in a fantastic 6hours 29mins. She had never run before and was so delighted to have completed such a mamouth run!

She said: "Along all the course it was a party atmosphere bands playing and little children giving me sweets to keep my sugars up.

Even at one point a priest sprinkled me with Holy water,

I was grateful of any help to get me through.

Towards the end support was still there and I managed to run the last two miles at a good pace, I was concentrating so much on finishing that I missed Big Ben although I ran straight past it! And I managed to miss Buckingham Palace. But crossing the finish line was brill, what a moment."

Our other runners all did equally well. Derek Nye made it round in 5 hours 18m; Thomas Harrington 5 hours 15m; Paul Temple 4 hours 39m; David Mayne 4 hours 33m.

A very big WELL DONE and CONGRATULATIONS to all of them!!!!

Also a big thankyou to all of you who sponsored them.

Paul Adams unfortunately didn't manage to get a flight out of Canada in time to make it home, but his name is firmly in place for next year, so he will get his chance then.

It's almost here!!!


The moment our dedicated runners have been waiting for.

Sunday sees the streets of London swarmed with pounding feet, some experienced marathon runners just trying for a personal best, and others attempting it for the first time.


It's been a week of twists and turns with the volcanic ash causing havoc for so many people, including one of our runners Paul Adams.

After years of trying to get a place in the London Marathon, he finally got one this year running on our behalf, and he is now stuck in Canada where he has been on standby for a week, desperately trying to return home.


Paul is mortified at the thought of going through all that training and not being able to run. He has focused hard on the challenge of running the marathon, training diligently for months, keeping himself motivated through the bad weather of the winter and now to be stuck so far away can only spell frustration.


Our fingers are firmly crossed for Paul, and if he cant make it this year, his place will carry over to next year so not everything will be lost for him.

All our other runners are fully ready, set for a great day and even the weather forecast is good! We wish you all the very best of luck.

So please get behind our runners, Derek Nye, Thomas Harrington, Paul Temple, Paul Adams, David Mayne and Vanessa Ashworth by sponsoring them here: www.macintyrefundraising.org

Well the London Marathon is looming ever closer with only 5 weeks to go and there is no one more conscious of it than Paul Adams, one of our commendable runners.

Paul is a contracts manager living in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire and in his previous employment he has constructed properties for MacIntyre so knows all about the good work we do, and coincidentally his neighbour works for us! So he has double reason to run and raise money for us.

He has been running a way of keeping fit for a couple of years now on and off, but has never tackled anything so challenging as a marathon before. He is naturally apprehensive and has been daunted by the training more than the marathon itself.

However he has been putting in the hours of training, preparing himself for the task ahead along with his running schedule he has also been doing circuit training and vibro-gym. Unfortunately his training came to a standstill in November when he had appendicitis, but after a full recuperation he was back to it making up for lost time.

Paul is aiming to complete the marathon in a very respectable 5 hours.
We wish Paul all of our luck and know he’ll do us very proud.

Please support Paul or any of our other runners by sponsoring them here www.macintyrefundraising.org

Welcome to my blog!

I am one of the fundraisers here at MacIntyre and I am here to keep you up to date with what fundraising activity is going on in and around MacIntyre.

I’ll kick off by telling you that we’ve got 6 people running the London marathon for us on April 25th. They have dedicated their time and talent to running the marathon in our name donating all their sponsorship money to MacIntyre. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll introduce them all to you, but I’ll start with Derek.

Derek Nye is someone who has a close friend that receives support from MacIntyre, so with that personal connection Derek was keen to run on our behalf knowing the money raised will be going to support his friend.

Derek hated running at school, but as he approached his 40th birthday he challenged himself to run a marathon! Obviously he doesn’t do things by half!

He has now run the London marathon a couple of times, but not for a few years, so is keen to prove to himself that he’s still got it. He started his training last summer, and when he was made redundant he happily looked on the bright side thinking at least he’d be able to concentrate on his marathon training. However he was fortunate to find and start a new job just one week later, so his training plans quickly went out of the window.
He fits his training in between cycling, golf, rugby, walking his dogs and is currently moving house. His best marathon running time is 5 hours, so he is challenging himself this time to do it under 4½ hours. No mean feat!

He has enjoyed a break from his training as the nights grew dark and the weather took a turn for the worse through the winter, but is now getting back into his stride.

Please support Derek or any of our other runners by sponsoring them here: http://www.macintyrefundraising.org/

Deborah Kenyon

Fundraiser

Allez Bill!

Well it is all over and what an amazing event. I am pleased to tell you that last Sunday I successfully completed the Marathon du Mont Blanc- all 26 (and a bit) miles in a time of 7:30. Thank you to everyone for your generous sponsorship and many words of encouragement- I have just about raised my target of £2,000 and I am sure there are a few people out there who still might be tempted to pledge a few pounds.

The run started at 7.00 in the picturesque town square of Chamonix, the assembled runners looked very fit indeed and all kitted out with the latest trail running gear and various hydration systems, they really looked the part. Some were using the marathon as a warm up training run for the Mont Blanc Ultra Marathon in August; a 100 mile run over the route of the famous Tour du Mont Blanc (and no I am not thinking of doing that!) However the atmosphere was relaxed and the weather was set fair, friends and family gathered to cheer us off and then headed back for their breakfast before heading to the finish many hours later to greet us as we returned.

The first third or so of the course was lovely as it headed up the valley side towards Switzerland; one of the most enjoyable stretches was passing the Col du Montet (at about 9 miles) and descending down through alpine meadows, full of wonderful flowers to a small village called Vallorcine. On the way down we came across a herd of long horned dairy cows with large alpine bells on their necks- they looked and sounded great but didn’t seem to care for sharing their meadow with a load of runners who were scattered by the cows and not the other way round. Fortunately the two guys in front of me distracted the nearest cow who nudged them off the path and I gained a couple of places!

At Vallorcine everything changed as we headed straight up over 1000m from the valley floor to the Aiguillette des Posettes via a seemingly vertical footpath. By the time I reached the top my legs knew they were in for a hard day but otherwise I felt reasonably ok and was pleased to note that I had reached the half way point in 3 hours (an hour faster than schedule). Then it was a steep, rocky and knee busting descent right back down to the valley floor again, maximum concentration was required not to trip up and go hurtling head over heels but a great respite after such a hard climb. Eventually the route crosses over itself at another small village, Tre-le-Champ were the locals greeted us with shouts of encouragement and alpine bells- it felt like we were on a stage of the Tour du France. There were a surprising number of people out along the route supporting the runners with “Courage”, “Bravo” and “Allez” and as we each had our names on our running numbers it was marvellous to be personally greeted by “Allez Bill”- which always made me smile.

By now I had done 20 miles and my official split time was 4:23 and I was feeling reasonably ok and stopped to take on some light food and more fluid. Then the nightmare began; another 1000m climb only this time the legs felt like jelly and the midday sun was beginning to cook us. The last six miles were seemingly interminable and it took me another 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete. It felt like the fuel tank was empty and I was kept going only by the determination that giving up was not an option and anyway- it was the same for everyone else around me. At 2kms from the finish I came round a bend in the track to a clear view of the flags at the arrival point and could hear the loud speaker system, the end seemed so close but my heart sank to see the path fall away below me in a steep descent only to rise up again 1km from the finish. Believe me those last 1000m as they climbed up what in the winter is a black ski run took forever. The sun was at its zenith and there was no shade- I felt as if I was undertaking some cruel French Foreign Legion punishment march!

Of course I did eventually reach the end and was delighted to get my medal and a beaker of beer and to take a few moments to recognise that the challenge was over- I had done it. Initially feelings were just of relief and exhaustion but it didn’t take long to enjoy the moment and feel proud- not just of myself but also family, friends and colleagues who had supported and encouraged me. What’s next- I am not sure except of course my ongoing passion is for the charity MacIntyre. There are a lot of fantastic personal stories of people going great things, every day, at MacIntyre and my continuing challenge is to support them to have hopes, dreams and goals.

Thank you very much

Winding down...

This time next week it will be all over; my legs will be sore and I will be able to reflect on what will surely be one of the most remarkable days of my life but the 2012 Appeal will have been launched. Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me and if you haven't there is still a week to go to give me a last minute boost.

At the weekend my wife, Gina and I hiked up and around Snowdon and despite the poor weather it was a great way of winding down in preparation for the marathon. Behind me in the photograph is a rock face known as LLiwedd; the scene of many early rock climbing exploits of Britain's early pioneers who, dressed in woollen breeches and nailed leather boots carrying hemp ropes tied around their waists, climbed its convoluted and vast ramparts. The famous George Mallory climbed here in preparation for his exploratory expeditions to Everest in the 1920's and 30's- indeed some of the routes are named after him. I myself have struggled up a few routes on LLiwedd and each time it was a memorable epic with the wonderful reward of summiting on the high ridge that skirts around Snowdon. This time we made do with the hiking paths.

As an aside I was struck at the considerable numbers of people who as part of their 3 Peaks Challenge were hiking up Snowdon as their final peak. They looked tired and proud after already scaling Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike and in the pouring rain Snowdon was not going to be an easy finish. However some groups looked quite vulnerable with wholly inadequate footwear and weather proof clothing and in the poor visibility were apparently left to find their own way. If charities are going to encourage people, un accustomed to mountain environments, to raise money by undertaking such a challenge then at the very least they should make sure they are properly advised and looked after.

I fly out to the Alps on Wednesday and although I am a little nervous I can't wait to get to the start line and begin. You will see from the profile that the run is rather lumpy and finishes high. The way back down is via cable car- it is a good incentive not to reach the finish line too late otherwise there will be no option to walk all the way back down to the valley. I will try and send a blog from Chamonix to let you know how I get on and in the interim please keep those pledges and good wishes coming in.

Two weeks to go...

Two weeks to go- I can’t believe it! When I first thought of entering the Mont Blanc Marathon it was Christmas and the summer seemed such a long way away but now the marathon date, like an approaching juggernaut, suddenly looms large. I went for my final long run at the weekend; having intended to do 20 miles I ended up cutting it short to 17 because I felt so dehydrated in the heat. A bit disappointing but I shall try not to dwell on it and instead look forward to winding down a bit in preparation for race itself. A couple of short hill runs and a walk up Snowdon next weekend should see me to the start line.

I have had lots of encouragement from people which I really appreciate and recently had an email from a former colleague, Rachelle, who has encouraged me to try “Twittering”! I shall give it a go- anything to get people interested in and then perhaps engaged with the 2012 Appeal is worth a try. I am also starting to get messages from MacIntyre colleagues who are telling me about people taking up their personal challenges and starting new interests. This is great and I should love to hear more and more personal stories- in fact if you are willing I shall add one to the blog?

Tomorrow I am off to MacIntyre’s services in Leicester to meet with a new local manager, Marina, who is pioneering our “Great Interactions” project in the home she is responsible for. Good care work is not as straightforward as one might first think and people with disabilities tell us that the most important thing they want is to be supported, each day and every day, in a way that is not only respectful but also enables them to take increasing control of their own lives- no matter how small the steps. Some colleagues appear to be quite natural in the way they work with people and MacIntyre has analysed what it is that they do so others, less natural, can learn to develop their skills. Skills such as being reflective, listening, creative, observant and good communication etc tend to be the most enabling and we can all develop these within our daily work. I am looking forward to hearing from one team how the development of the quality of their interactions with the people they support has led to better outcomes for all.

So two weeks to go- still time to long on to www.justgiving.com/billmumford and pledge the odd £1 or £2!