A Happy Old Man.
I was 69 in 2022 and it turned out to be a very significant year. It was the one when, despite being a casual runner for most of my life, I ran farther than 10km for the first time. I support a charity called Kidasha which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. So I decided to do a sponsored run of 25km. This meant I had to start in Nether Wallop which is 4km from Broughton and then, as soon as I’d collected my race number, run the half marathon. I decided to do this just a month before the event, so I had little time to build up my fitness. I ran twice a week increasing the distance by 2km each time. By 10 days before the event, I did one run of about 24km with no discomfort. So I faced the big day with reasonable confidence that I could complete it as long as I stayed injury free.
I arrived at Nether Wallop in rain but within minutes of starting, it stopped and the sun soon appeared. From then on it was glorious sunshine all the way. I had none of the impressive gear many experienced runners seemed to have. The only addition I made to my usual togs was to buy a portable water bottle. I decided to make use of it very regularly and refill it at most stations. They also had a variety of sugar-loaded snacks; I’ve never eaten so many jelly beans in a space of three hours! But it was all worth it because I had no problems throughout. In fact I really enjoyed myself. As I gained confidence, I set myself the goal of never walking. I managed it, though climbing the hill at Farley Mount was quite a challenge. I completed the half marathon in 2hrs 29mins (2hrs 52mins for the whole run) which I was very happy with.
I made this commitment because Kidasha is a small charity which achieves big things. It transforms the lives of street children in Pokhara, the second city of Nepal. The severe poverty in which they live has increased further because of the Covid pandemic and price increases of basic goods. I visited the project in 2019 and was highly impressed with what they are able to do to lift the children’s lives out of repeated abuse and exploitation. They focus on teaching basic life-skills and getting the children back to school, whilst living in a residential setting for just a few months. By giving on-going support to the parents, most of the children are able to return home. For some this is not safe but by working alongside local social workers they are placed in foster care. By maintaining contact through into teenage years, it’s possible to support some into employment where regular checks are made to make sure they’re not exploited.
So, with the help of everybody who organised the Clarendon Marathon, I was able to raise more than £1300. Thank you everybody. It will help improve the lives of so many children in Nepal.
