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A council staff member who ran the London marathon has described conditions as tough.
Allan Bridges, 1 Leisure sales manager, ran four hours, 55 minutes and 30 seconds in the hottest race day conditions on record, to raise over £1,000 for the Ron Pickering Memorial Foundation at the world renowned challenge on 22 April.
He chose the charity as it strives to make sure athletes between 15 and 23 achieve their potential by awarding grants to go towards coaching and equipment.
Conditions a real mixed blessing
Mr Bridges said,
“What an experience – it was everything I could possibly have hoped for. The conditions were a real mixed blessing – the sunshine made it incredibly tough to run but brought out the crowds who were amazing.
“I’m delighted to have been able to raise funds for the foundation this year and the feeling crossing the finishing line is one I’ll never forget. The smile on my face will last a whole lot longer than the pain in my legs and hey, who needs toenails anyway!”
350 miles of training
To prepare, Allan, 42, had put in an exhausting 350 miles of running since the beginning of the year as part of his training.
Congratulating Mr Bridges on his sweltering run, Cabinet member for environment and heritage, Councillor John Hobart, said:
“What a brilliant effort by Mr Bridges on what I’m sure was a difficult day due to the challenging weather conditions. What a great example to set others on what you can achieve if you set your mind to it. Well done.”
More than 40,000 runners took part in Sunday’s race which saw organisers distribute four-and-a-half litres of water per person due to the heat.
Show your support
If you would like to donate to Allan’s fundraising cause, you can still do so on Allan’s Virgin Money Giving Page.
The Ron Pickering Memorial Foundation
Ron Pickering OBE was one of British sport’s great visionaries. He was a former physical education teacher and national athletics coach, training Lynn Davies to Tokyo Olympic gold. Ron is best remembered as the voice of athletics on BBC commentaries and iconic programmes such as Superstars. He was awarded the OBE by the Queen in 1986 for services to sport.
When he died unexpectedly in 1991, his wife Jean, herself an Olympic medallist from the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and children Kim and Shaun set up the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund to help young British athletes fulfil their potential.
Since then, supported by the Trustees and a network of volunteers, the fund has raised and awarded more than £2 million in small but significant grants to several thousand talented young British athletes.
