This weekend, 16 people from the Isle of Wight will be taking part in the 10 mile BUPA Great South Run to raise money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.
The BUPA Great South Run (30th October) is one of the UK’s biggest sporting participation events, the team of 16 runners will line up against 24,000 other people to race through the historic maritime town of Portsmouth.
Louise McHale, originally from Leeds and now living in Cowes, has been volunteering with the Trust for the past three years. This will the first time she has taken part in the Great South Run, though she has volunteered with the Trust previously.
Louise said: “When I started volunteering with the Trust I wanted to find a way to use my sailing skills and my 20 years working in social care to help people, and also as a way to meet new friends when I was new to the Island. In the last 3 years it has gone way beyond making new friends. I have seen what an amazing effect the Trust has on the young people we work with.” Louise is aiming to raise £200 through the Run, as part of her long term goal of £1,000 for the Trust and as an extra incentive for donations this year, Louise is raffling off a signed copy of Dame Ellen’s autobiography – offering one ticket for each £1 donation received.
Also raising money for the Trust are Emma and Steve Goodier. So far the couple have raised £400 through the race for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and the funds will go towards helping even more young people from hospitals all across the country experience this special opportunity. Emma volunteers regularly on the boats and although both Emma and Steve are seasoned runners, this is their first time competing in Great South Run.
The couple have been putting a new twist on the sport recently – running barefoot and will be doing all 10 miles of the Run without trainers. “Humans are natural runners, and we weren’t born with trainers on our feet,” Steve explains. “Running barefoot has a steep learning curve, you have to run in a different style which is more in tune with your body. I run 30 – 40 miles a week, and I haven’t touched trainers for 3 months.” Steve hopes one day to compete in the London Marathon for the Trust as well.
Runners in the Bupa Great South Run will be set on their way by one of the most famous British sportswoman in recent history, as the Trusts very own Dame Ellen Macarthur, the record breaking single-handed round the world yachtswoman, is to perform the starter’s duties. Dame Ellen, who founded the charity in 2003, said, “I am really excited to be starting the Bupa Great South Run – it’s a hugely popular event. My charity, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has over 50 runners raising funds for us so we can take more young people sailing in recovery from Cancer.”
A total of 53 runners will take part in the race for the Trust, who have so far raised over £7,000 towards their target of £10,000, which will enable the charity to take over 20 young people sailing across their four day summer sailing trips. Amongst the runners will be Frank Fletcher, the Trust’s CEO, who also lives on the Island. “The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is thrilled to once again have so many participants in the Great South Run, including me! The large amount of sponsorship raised last year made a huge difference to the Trust and allowed us to take more than 60 young people recovering from cancer and leukaemia sailing. That is an incredible achievement! We are really hoping to see a repeat of last year’s successes and are very much looking forward to the day.”
There are many ways you can support The Trust with your time, money or services. For more information on the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust please visit: www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org website.
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