RUNNERS
5 Challenges for Phil
“
I’d been friends with Phil since I was 15. Although we went to the same school, we met later, at
the snooker hall in Telford, where we both grew up. We became so close that I was best man at his wedding to Sam in May 2009. “He’d been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2003 and had surgery, but a routine scan showed a new growth. He was a great bloke who took everything life threw at him on the chin. When Phil died in April 2010, at the age of 27, I knew that I had to do some fundraising in his memory and I came up with the idea of five challenges to raise money for Brain Tumour UK. “At school I’d been a sprinter and into athletics, but my first run was a 10k at Longleat in Wiltshire in October 2009, followed by half marathons in Gosport and Bedford, and then the Edinburgh Marathon in 2010.
The start line “After losing Phil, I started working through my list of five challenges, starting with the 31-mile ultra marathon in Nottingham in August 2010. I finished 10th, in 5:07:34. “By October that year I knew I needed to do something a little different to raise funds so my friend Gavin and I set up our treadmill and exercise bike in my office for an ultra endurance challenge. Gavin cycled and I ran – all day! “We had various competitions, such as Guess the Mileage, raffles, a cake sale and quiz which colleagues dropped by for. In the end I did 47 miles and Gavin cycled 127.4 miles. Seeing us do that all
50 ■ RUNNING FREE
Steve West, 30, lives in Bristol with his wife Hannah. When his life-long friend Phil was struck down with a brain tumour, he decided to take some action. Interview by Christine Fieldhouse
day brought it home to workmates just what an effort we were making, and they helped us raise £1,600.
Historical run “My third challenge, the Druid Challenge, was my biggest to date – I was going to run 82 miles along the Ridgeway Path, which is Britain’s oldest path, dating back to 3000BC. The route, which included 9,500ft of ascents, started at Ivinghoe Beacon and took in Watlington and Wantage. “What a brilliant experience it was!
We got lost on day one and did two miles extra, which meant I did 31 miles in 6:11. The next day I did 27 miles in 5:07 and on day three I managed 26.2 miles in 4:50. I was very pleased! “I made some wonderful friends and it
was an amazing feeling. Taking part in an event over three days means you really get to know people well, and I finished joint 39th out of 130 who finished all three days.
Keep on running “I followed the Druid Challenge with the Thames Trot in February this year. This was a 50-mile ultra following the path of the Thames from just south of Oxford to Henley-on-Thames. I’d expected to get round in 11 hours and finished it two hours ahead of time! “Now I’m gearing up for the fifth of my challenges – the London Marathon 2011. Training has been interrupted because I’ve had my first injury, but I’ve thrown myself into some 5.5k swims and started cycling to work. One day I’d love to do the Grand Union Canal Race - 145 miles from Birmingham to London.
A lasting legacy “So far I’ve raised about £6,000 for Brain Tumour UK. They invest a lot of money into research into the causes of and treatment for brain tumours, as well as providing support for family members. I know first hand what brain tumour victims go through. I went and saw Phil two days before he died and it was horrific to see him like that. “The legacy of losing my friend is
realising how important my own family is to me, and now Hannah is expecting our first baby in June. I know Phil would have laughed at me for doing all this running and fundraising, but deep down he would have approved!”
■ To sponsor Steve visit
www.justgiving.com/ Stephen-West-ultra
WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL BEST? Whether it was your first race, the day you ran your fastest time, or the run on which your partner proposed, we’d love to hear about your Personal Best running memory. Send the details along with photos to us at:
letters@runningfreemag.co.uk. We just might ask you to feature on this page and share your story with the world. What’s more, everyone who stars in Personal Best gets a fantastic pair of Brooks running shoes!
“
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE SPECIAL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80