Marathon of Marathons 2010 - PEI Media

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Notes from the Road In the footsteps of Pheidippides | Athens, 31 October 2010 22 Sunday 31st October 2010 Race day! The Marathon of Marathons was a great adventure for everyone who took on the challenge. In the following pages some of our runners and walkers tell their story about the event – the fear, the pain, the fun, the joy. Daniela Barone Soares, Impetus Trust, London The big thrill “The Marathon of Marathons was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done... and certainly one of the most thrilling! I loved the experience and that is a masochistic side of me I wasn’t aware of! When I signed up to run in July, it was on the eve of my 40th birthday, and I thought running in a Marathon would achieve several things: 1) a level of fitness I hadn’t felt in years; 2) support for Impetus - we are proud to be one of the chosen beneficiaries of the Marathons of Marathons; 3) support for our new initiative to improve the life chances of disadvantaged children aged 0 - 5 in the UK. Mind over matter wins the day My determination flourished in all the months leading up to the Marathon. It is a great personal and physical challenge. Whereas I like the drive and commitment needed to train and complete it, I was concerned about my sciatica and the conditions of the Marathon. My parents had come from Brazil to watch me run, which was a great support personally as well as to the greater purpose of this run -- and also added a bit of pressure to complete the course. It was almost a relief to be at the starting line, and to know that the day had finally come. Despite all manner of bodily pain during the race, I can’t describe the feeling of ecstasy when, right after a curve, I saw the 2500-yearold Olympic stadium and crossed the finish line (I sprinted for the last 2km!!). So, the body was suffering but the “head” was fine. Beyond a certain point, what gets you through is sheer determination. It took me just under 5h30m, which is 30m more than my aim. So I’m pretty happy. The sciatica was fine too, which was the best news of all. I was super sore and exhausted - my face red from the scalding sun. But I would definitely recommend running a marathon: it is a thrill. Just not Athens - the course is crazy! It is an experience I will never forget (or repeat - at least that’s what I feel now). To be part of this Marathon of Marathons and share the experience with so many others from the private equity and infrastructure industries - who have been wonderful supporters of Impetus over the years - was in the end absolutely what I needed to kick-start my forties. Plus I managed to raise nearly €30,000 – thanks to everyone who sponsored me!” Emma Morgan, Arcus Infrastructure Partners, London Daunting, draining, awe-inspiring “Without a doubt, the Athens Marathon 2010 was the most daunting, draining and terrifying ‘mission’ I’ve ever signed up for! Nothing can prepare you for the fatigue, pain, blood, sweat and tears - literally - of Alternative Insight
Notes from the Road In the footsteps of Pheidippides | Athens, 31 October 2010 23 your first (and possibly only!) marathon. With one heck of a good playlist on my iPod, the support of friends, family and colleagues and the knowledge that the money raised was going to such valued children’s charities, the gruelling 26.2 miles in the Athens sunshine was made all the more worthwhile. Raising money for helpless, vulnerable and sick children from all corners of the world was a privilege and a humbling experience. The talk given by John Campbell in Athens the day before the marathon gave the whole experience of fundraising a sense of realism. His emotion and passion were awe-inspiring and brought to life the whole purpose of all of us being there. Running the Athens marathon with the Marathon of Marathons Trust has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and I look back on it with pride, fondness and still one black toenail!” Emma ran Athens together with her Arcus colleague Paolo Rastelli. Fay Sanders, Mergermarket, London ‘Sanders! Sanders!’ Emotional after 4hours 9 minutes “Having never run anything more than 5.6km prior to signing up to the Athens marathon in early June, I knew I was in for a tough challenge. I began rigorous training and nagging-friends-for-sponsorship programmes pretty soon after enrolling. Efforts on both fronts eventually paid off. The day itself was hotter than I had envisaged, but I remained focused and let my legs to do the work. I felt surprising waves of emotion at varying intervals along the way. I felt privileged to be taking part in such a monumental event, running alongside participants from all walks of life; with such a range of nationalities, ages, abilities and costumes. The support of the crowds was extremely motivating and it was rewarding to tap children’s outstretched hands and see their faces light up into a smile. Towards the end of the marathon my enthusiasm for this subsided slightly, as did my tolerance for supporters waving plastic devices that made loud clicking noises. At the cusp of a hill a Greek lady leant forward to read my surname on myvest before enthusiastically shouting out “Sanders! Sanders!” followed by a string of unintelligible encouragement in Greek. At least I’m assuming it was encouragement, but either way it did the trick. Running into the Olympic Stadium brought a strong, final flood of emotion. I completed the marathon in 4 hours 9 minutes and have already signed up to do the Barcelona marathon on 6th March to try to improve my time.” Graham McDonald, Lloyds Banking Group, Edinburgh Against the odds McDonald: Nenikekamen! “My training plan was somewhat hampered by injury and necessitated 18 vital visits to physiotherapy during the months of June to October. It is not, however, every year that you get the opportunity to take part on the route of the original marathon, indeed one of the toughest in the world - and to celebrate its 2,500th anniversary. And so after all the hard work, we arrived in Athens on the Friday night, detecting a strong mood of anticipation amongst the MoM team. Alternative Insight
Page 1 and 2: Athens, 31 October 2010 In the foot
Page 3 and 4: Greeting from Euan McGregor In the
Page 5 and 6: Letter from John Campbell In the fo
Page 7 and 8: RUNNERS AND RIDERS In the footsteps
Page 9 and 10: ORGANISATIONS REPRESENTED BY INDIVI
Page 11 and 12: The Marathon of Marathons charities
Page 19 and 20: THE TRAINING In the footsteps of Ph
Page 21 and 22: The pre-race luncheon In the footst
Page 23: The pre-race luncheon In the footst
Page 27 and 28: Notes from the Road In the footstep
Page 37 and 38: Clash of the editors In the footste
Page 39 and 40: Notes from the road In the footstep
Page 41 and 42: Notes from the road In the footstep
Page 43 and 44: THe Dinner In the footsteps of Phei
Page 45 and 46: The results In the footsteps of Phe
Page 47 and 48: Closing note In the footsteps of Ph

Marathon of Marathons 2010 - PEI Media

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