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Oct 2008
8:07pm, 25 Oct 2008
1,612 posts
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Yorkshire Pie (YP1)
I didn't pay to enter...
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Oct 2008
8:08pm, 25 Oct 2008
2,469 posts
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hls
well you dont deserve a chip then  What was your time then? Did you have to go slower for the guided runner or did they encourage you to go faster (am curious how this works - thinks mebbe we will chat about this tomorrow if we are not too busy eating cake).
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Oct 2008
8:11pm, 25 Oct 2008
1,615 posts
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Yorkshire Pie (YP1)
6:48:something. Matt is so disabled that he needed 6 guide runners and 2 bikes - so we got 3 charity places, 3 guide runner places, and the bikes just followed us without numbers. The plan was to go at Matt's pace, but actually one of the other guide runners was struggling by the end so he ended up having to slow down for her (he said he wasn't going to cross the line without her so stopped at 25.5 miles to wait for her to catch up. I stuck with Matt most of the time, although I had to do a bit of running backwards and forwards to check everyone was OK. But if it's just a one on one guide running thing then you basically run at the pace that the person who needs to be guided wants - it's their race, not yours.
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Oct 2008
8:19pm, 25 Oct 2008
2,475 posts
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hls
I think I have seen the pics on facebook now I think about it. I think that is great that he wanted to wait for his other guide runner. Mind you I think a marathon is a huge task, canna believe how many you do.
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Oct 2008
8:23pm, 25 Oct 2008
1,617 posts
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Yorkshire Pie (YP1)
He is the most amazing guy I know. He was a rugby player and his injury is more serious than the guy who committed suicide the other week, but he just keeps on finding ways to do things that he just shouldn't even think about doing. Last thing I heard he's trying to get another marathon place... I'd walk over hot coals (and more) for him, he really makes you realise how lucky you are if you can get up in the morning and do what you want to do.
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Oct 2008
8:27pm, 25 Oct 2008
2,478 posts
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hls
wow, it is one of those things you cannot even begin to imagine how you would cope with. I think that must be amazing to take part in an event with someone like that, it must be very rewarding but I guess even more inspiring.
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Oct 2008
8:27pm, 25 Oct 2008
2,392 posts
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Haddi :-)
doing what your doing Hls is amazing
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Oct 2008
8:31pm, 25 Oct 2008
2,480 posts
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hls
nah Haddi, doing what I am doing is just being sensible in a way, trying to get myself fit and healthy and lead a good example for K. I often think when I am having a bad day that no matter how bad things are for me, they are often a lot worse for someone else. And every day I am proved right.......I hardly watch the news now, too much doom and gloom, can we not have a news programme that only tells you good stuff, no offence but there must be so many RAK's each day or good things that have happened to people to celebrate instead of misery. Look at Matt, after everything that happened he still got out of bed and went for it - that is amazing.
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Oct 2008
8:32pm, 25 Oct 2008
1,618 posts
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Yorkshire Pie (YP1)
I've grown up with disability, my grandfather got polio when he was younger than I am now, and was always a big advocate for disability access, an expert on disabled toilets, founder of a disabled living centre. Every holiday we went on we had to apologise when he broke the equipment he provided because it wasn't good enough... But Matt's disability is way beyond anything we had to deal with, and it's hard to describe how much he has to cope with.
When we did NY he had problems with his chair at the start, and the mechanic was only at 13 miles. After we'd got him to 5 miles he wanted to pull out and told us to carry on to the finish. I told him in no uncertain terms that I was wearing his number and that meant that if I finished without him next to me, I wouldn't get a medal, and I wasn't going to finish if he wasn't. I ended up pushing him to 13 miles, and again for the last couple when his battery died again. But it was so worth it.
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Oct 2008
8:37pm, 25 Oct 2008
2,393 posts
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Haddi :-)
but if it wasn't for guide runners then the the people who need them wouldn't be able to take part in these events and experiance the great atmosphere
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