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27 Apr 2011 12:49:01
Four staff members from the University of Bedfordshire overcame 26.2 miles and the increasing heat to complete the 2011 Virgin London Marathon.
Anne-Marie Kinsella, Kai Allen and Professor John Brewer (main photo, right) and Sarah Deed (shown below) all completed the course last Sunday (17 April), raising thousands of pounds for some fantastic causes in the process.
Anne-Marie, who works in Human Resources, was due to be running alongside her twin sister, Elizabeth. Unfortunately injury forced Elizabeth to defer her place to 2012 but the pair still raised a whopping £4,700 (including gift aid) for Lilly MacGlashan.
Little Lilly from Dunstable has a rare form of cancer and her family are desperately trying to raise a minimum of £300,000 for life-saving surgery in America.
Anne-Marie ran four hours and 35 minutes and she said: “The first and last five miles are the hardest but I enjoyed every minute of it, especially seeing friends and family at miles seven, 16, 21, 23 and 25. I hope my feet will forgive me!”
Her colleague in Human Resources, Kai, ran for the World Cancer Research Fund and he was restricted by injuries to finish in just over six hours. Despite this, £2,300 was raised for charity and Kai said: “A big thank you to everyone who sponsored me.”
The University’s Director of Sport, Professor Brewer, completed his 13th London Marathon but was disappointed in his finishing time of four hours and 22 minutes.
Despite recording one of his slowest ever times due to the heat and a demanding pre-race schedule, he managed to raise £400 for the University’s chosen charity of the year, the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust.
In the four days leading up to the big race he was delivering four seminars a day for runners on ‘hydration and refuelling’ at the pre-race Expo and Pasta Party, which all 35,000 runners at London had to attend.
Professor Brewer said: “I was tired before the start after giving 15 talks on the main stage at Expo and then I got up extremely early on race day to get to London for a 6.30am studio interview for BBC 5 live on whether the two-hour marathon barrier will ever be broken.
“As always though, it was a great atmosphere and a great day and I made it to the finish line for a 13th London Marathon medal, 27 years after the first!”
Sarah, who is the finance officer for the MARC department, recorded a time of three hours 39 minutes and 33 seconds and raised £223 for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
She said: “I found it tough going and the heat didn’t help. I enjoyed running up towards Tower Bridge the best; the crowds and supporters were amazing and their constant support really pulled me through. Now I’m having a well-deserved rest and letting my legs and feet recover!”
Latest news» 2011» April» Cash pours in as sweat pours off
