“Jog4John” – The Results!
The run, ’tis done! With thanks to all who sponsored, sent good wishes and were kind enough not to laugh too loudly at the thought of me running!
Thanks to our generous donors my total raised issome £1,700 – a magnificient result. If anyone would like to add to the total post hoc then please feel free to click the old Paypal button here…
I’m not sure what the grand total is as yet, but we look good to break the £10k mark and, importantly, make a major contribution to John’s treatment. Lorraine is really to be commended here for organising the event (including the waymarking, getting the venue and roping people in). Brava.
The run itself was nearly fun. In stages it went like this:
* great sendoff from Claude Moraes, London’s own MEP
* sunny, warm day with a pleasant urban jog along the Mile End Road and thence the canal to Limehouse basin
* day become hot, legs are now tired, but cheered by joining the Thames Footpath which, well, runs alongside the Thames. All very Pepys (wrong bank, but otherwise perfect), then a run through Canary Wharf. Best view I’ve ever had of the place.
* gets all urban grime again. Feel knackered. Want to stop. Daren’t.
* arrive at the Thames Barrier Park – what an amazing place!
* Crawl to the Brick Lane Music Hall (yes, I know it’s not in Brick Lane, thank you!) where an enormous spread of teas, cakes, savouries and more cakes awaited.
The time was awful – 1 hour 10mins – until Chris admitted that the distance was a bit wrong and we’d just run 10k. Not so bad then, after a fortnight’s “practice”.
Once everyone had arrived we had a very moving couple of thanks and speeches which both reinforced why everyone had contributed so generously and gave spirits a boost – no mean feat to pull off!
Donors and other notes after the jump…
… so what else was interesting?
1) Claude
2) Conchango
3) Ankles
4) Photos
5) Donors
Claude
Well, I’m not one for MEPs even on the best of days, but to find a massively friendly Indian-French-Scotsman with an interest in James Bond and fine swiss timepieces is not exactly your run-of-the-mill politics. He was a thoroughly lovely person and blissfully modest too. I wonder if he could be persuaded to stand against the current local politician… Ho hum.
Conchango
What can I say? Mentioned to Mike Altendorf, MD of that estimable digital agency, that I was running and, after a few laughs, he said “we’ll sponsor that!”. True to his word the PR machine kicked into play and not only did we get a set of t-shirts (I’m/my husband’s/my daddy’s… Jogging 4 John) sent to us forthwith, but also a v large and generous donation.
To Mike, Lorraine, Tod and everyone else at Conchango – many, many thanks!
Ankles
I visited my doctor yesterday to ask if it was normal or fair for me to have lost my voice (bah!) and took the opportunity to ask about my ankles. After a solid telling off about overweight “men of my age” attacking running as if their 20s (oops) it appears I had a bona fide running injury. Al (he of the genuine Achilles tendon injury) and Maff (already suggesting I join him on the RunLondon) will of course not believe this, but I just want it on record before any other bright sparks suggest another run… 😉
Photos
… are available
Donors
What a great bunch! It’d be invidious to single out individuals (apart from those who immediately clobbered me with a contra sponsorship – what’s this Sport Aid million miles thing anyway?). I did want to mention Antony Morris though who – personally generous as ever – also undertook a Hong Kong mini-fundraising event and roped in people there to swell the coffers. Many thanks for that.
I’ve listed the donors below in order of speed of response to the request. All amounts are really gratefully received and it’s made a wizened old cynic weep to see how generous people have been.
I’ve passed on the kind wishes that you put in your messages to Carolyn and John. At least, the half that didn’t simply ask if I had an oxygen supply, would need a fundraiser myself at the end of it, etc etc etc 🙂
Here’s the thank you list:
Antony Morris
Alan Coates
Simon Love
Mukesh Rughani
Caroline Muirehead
Jayne Gething
Elizabeth Varley
Lian Rowlands
Joanna Espiner
Matthew Heath
Damian Jacques
Steve Goodheart
Michael Duffy
Darren Neylon
Helen Leyland
Nancy Cruikshank
Mike Butcher
Stephen Heal
Ann Jamieson
Doug Winter
Alistair Kennedy
Gordon Montgomery
Gary Richards
John Devlin
Andy Hamilton
John Harbourne
Olivia Williams
Sarah Cheeseman
Theresa Clifford
Swee-Im Ung
Steve Johnson-Stott
Chris Ezekiel
Rhian Browning
Anon (friend of Antony in HK)
Lynne Teasdale
Kieron Fitzpatrick
Joanne Farrell
Gavin Lennon
Concango
Ashley Friedlin
Neil Mason
Marco del Carlo
Nico Macdonald
Iain & Anne-Mary Wharton
Claire Espiner & Neil Jenkins
Helga Holmes
Mukesh Rughani
Tamara Littleton
Many thanks again!