Sunday 26th May 2013 – Keith and I were in Edinburgh to see our eldest son Lee take part in his first ever marathon and as you can imagine, he was unsure as to whether or not he would complete the course. My younger brother Gerard and some of his friends from the Stourbridge Running Club were also taking part but they are seasoned marathon runners, so we weren’t too surprised at around 4hrs10mins to see my brother heading for the finishing line and looking as though he’d just been for a stroll. His running buddy was a guy dressed in a clown’s outfit and they were having fun when they ran past me and didn’t hear me shouting encouragement.
I knew that Lee wouldn’t be too far behind so when the minutes ticked by, the runners thinned out and there was still no sign of him, we started to get worried. Keith went to the finishing line just in case we’d missed him and I stayed behind as the cheering crowd dwindled and I was left on my own. Then I saw Lee in the distance; he was walking and I knew there was something wrong so I ran towards him. He was in pain having popped the cartilage in his right knee at around the 18 miles’ mark. He limped the rest of the way. We know that Lee is not a quitter, but never have I seen such determination on his face. He was going to complete the course no matter what and despite our anxiety for his wellbeing, we were so proud of him.
His knee is currently in a brace, and he’s on crutches – when I asked him why he hadn’t given up and taken the transport back to the finish line, he simply said that if he hadn’t completed the course, he wouldn’t have raised the money for his chosen charity: Brains Trust, the Meg Jones brain cancer trust, although I think his sponsors would have paid up anyway. If you wish to donate to this charity visit www.brainstrust.org.uk/
Here I have to thank one of our lovely customers who, when they heard of Lee’s achievement, asked us to donate £50 from his account with us, and we would publicly like to thank Mr. Stannard for this very kind gesture. It is greatly appreciated.
As far as Lee is concerned – his injury hasn’t stopped him going to work every day; he’s on the mend and is already talking about next year’s marathon. When we were at the hospital with Lee, he was commenting on a man who competed wearing a full suit of armour that weighed around 60kgs. Sadly, I didn’t get a photo. Apparently, he competes each year in a different outfit to raise funds for a respite centre for people whose children suffer from autism. There are some pretty amazing people in this world, and I take my hat off to them in salute to their achievements.
Finally, I’d like to say a heartfelt congratulations to my lovely sister-in-law, Julia Martin who earlier this year completed her first ever marathon. Her name was drawn out of a hat at the Stourbridge Running Club and she competed in the London Marathon as part of a team of runners from the club. She raised over £600 in sponsorship for Cancer Research. Well done Julia and to quote a friend: “Proud of you”.
On the fishing front, Keith did try to cast a fly on the waters of Leith. He didn’t spot any trout rising but was contented with his walk, and by having seen a dipper and a heron!