A Fundraising Family Affair – we did it!

Well, we did it! After months of training and miles of running between us, we completed our challenge running 3 marathons between 4 of us – something we’re enormously proud of.

Zara and I set off first, and ran the first 10 miles quite comfortably. Chatting away, the first hour passed quickly, and before we knew it we had reached the halfway point, and start point for Laura and Kayla. With great excitement, we were all heading towards the same finish point.

The second half of the route was hilly. And these were long, steep hills. I think I speak for all of us when I say that the hills in that final section were the most difficult part of the experience. We were lucky to have a lot of family support throughout, which was wonderful. Every couple of miles, there would be someone there to cheer us on, make sure we had enough water and snacks, and check we were OK.

And of course, we had each other for support too. We didn’t quite manage to catch Laura and Kayla, but they were there towards the finish waiting for us, having finished their half marathon, and we ran the final half mile together. For me, that was the highlight of the whole thing. The memory of running that last half mile still fills me with emotion. We had spent months chatting to each other online about our progress, supporting each other through the ups and downs, and after running for hours we got to run together for the first time as a four.

Everyone was there at the finish line to join in our celebrations, which was another highlight. 3 generations of family from all over the UK had come along to cheer us on, including all of our kids who had watched us train for months!  Showing them what is achievable with investment of enough time and effort was priceless.

Finally, we’ve raised an incredible amount of money for the QNI in honour and memory of our wonderful Aunty Marie. We initially set our fundraising target as £250, hoping we might manage £500. We were gobsmacked when our Grandad made a donation on the day that took us over the £2,000 mark, which has increased even further since. We are so very grateful to everyone who has donated and supported us throughout. Zara has entered the ballot for the London Marathon next year, but I won’t be doing another one. For me it was a wonderful once in a lifetime experience, and one I’ll never forget.