Guest blog by Hayley…
Gavin has asked that I write a blog from my perspective, I guess being the closest ‘witness’ to his journey throughout the 45 legs…
It is hard to write in someone else’s blog, but he has asked that I be honest…I will try to keep it to pertinent points…(using headings to keep me on point)… as so much has happened and been experienced in these 45 days (6 months!)…
So, here goes, I think I will do a round up of observations of the 45 marathons (starting before the challenge to nearly the end)…with hopefully, a touch of some things you may not know already…
A little bit about us…
Gavin and I met hiking in Shrewsbury Hills and got talking excitedly about our passions for charity ideas… mine for Big Smiile, a charitable business I have been working on with some other great colleagues in our spare time…
Gavin’s for his challenge and how he wanted to help terminally ill children and wounded soldiers with rehabilitation equipment (what he didn’t tell me then was the enormity of it)!
Most of you know that Gavin started planning this last November (2013) it was a sad sad moment that triggered this challenge, with his close friend taking his life and Gavin travelled far to spread his ashes…
Plus every day having to go to work in hospital theatres and seeing much sadness and pain over the last 14 years, and feeling he wanted to do more (personally my saying at work when things get stressful is ‘we are not saving lives here’… whereas Gavin plays a part every day of his life to help someone!
but also the ‘I can and I will’ mentality of the patients suffering was the impetus for Gavin to make a difference in whatever way he could…
Gavin trying to get me to wear a wig around Wells!!! it didn’t happen! (I am the boring one of the two!)…
45 days – think 6 months plus – non stop physical and mental work!
Most people think the 45 marathons is the main challenge… but there is an endless list …. I will not bore you with… but…a quick overview of a few that come to mind…
…create a logo, design and plan a website, video… get council permits to collect, be turned down by some!
Get up 4am most days to run/cycle, train !!!!– get to work 730am – work on your feet all day… return train more, start admin for challenge – 730pm get food, continue until fall asleep – around 11pm or so…
get press releases developed for 45 locations… follow them up with calls… call them again… resend press releases every few days… no reply, try again, try again and again….
contact 45 locations for accommodation to stay, try to ask for some discount as it is for charity, many do, many don’t….
try contacts for sponsorship to help some way to the months of time invested and money spent that amounts the ££thousands… need more time, need to be known, already have celebs…the ongoing knock backs! but some were kind… thank you Mike Hammond, QE Bham – you are a true gent, New Balance trainers, Smiffys fancy dress, Drive Medical wheelchairs, Bristol Street Motors Martin Leach, Bodyshocker for the supplements… LaTour Hotel – amazing hotel and Manager in Birmingham, Steve Cooke at Cre8tivedesigns and Printing.com Bham … Joe Wolf, Physio, Mike Nolan, MN PR, Racheal Taplin, BluebooPR, PhsyioWorld via Hannah Millingon (a superstar in her own right overcoming bone cancer twice!)…to name a few… I am sure I have forgotten some!
and on… and on… and on….
Gavin must like running to do this?…NOPE!
Did you know that Gavin doesn’t even really like running? – so for me, I have started running a little since meeting Gavin and the maximum I have done is 5 miles, it is damn hard work and a high impact on your whole body….
When I drove behind him, I could see the ripples of effort impacting his back and shoulder muscles.
The stress on his body physically and mentally is immense, not to mention the injuries that he has sustained and still carried on every day… when most people would have given up a long time ago… I know I probably would have…
To help put it in perspective for me a ‘non-runner’… Try just running 10miles up and down a bit of a hill… (very hard work to start) multiply that 2.5times… then treble that and some more… add a heavy barrel…and wheelchair… maybe push a child in a pushchair – then you may have some idea…
Then imagine looking down the longest road that looks like it will never end, just hills, fields, sheep and cows looking as you pass…. The pain as you hobble thinking I cant give up….!
45 marathons plus life pressures still go on..
Even while running the 45 marathons, life still goes on…
.. planning, media calls, checking routes, weather, accommodation, speaking to the media, ensure you take photos, write your blog, reply to people that have been kind and sent messages on social media…take your supplements… make sure you have the right gear…what fancy dress will have the most impact but wont be too hot or heavy…?
A friend of mine also took his life a few weeks ago during this challenge… as you can imagine… Gavin had his own pressures and had to console me as well.. and I know this bought back memories for Gavin that are still very raw… bless those souls – now free from life’s pressures that they found too much…
Contrasts of life…
The contrasts that stood out the most for me – people are contrasts, much like life is and I am having to get used to myself – ‘kind hearts’, and maybe ambivalent (my ‘unsures’) ….I call these my ‘unsures’ as who am I to cast why they chose not to give even a little, or be rude when they saw Gavin running by, in fancy dress for an amazing challenge and how much Gavin was hobbling in pain to do this…
‘Kind hearts’ – So many people that have so little gave their money – the homeless, the Big Issue seller, the B&B owner that may not be able to continue to run his business due to the fees charged by companies like booking.com …
Conrad supporting on the website and our ongoing demands….they all gave all that they could… and to all of you that have donated – THANK YOU!!!!
‘My unsures’ – the larger chains of hotel businesses that could give so much more and not even notice a few pounds donated or given, but charge every bit of £money down to the last penny….and really take their piece that takes out the pennies of hard work and savings for Gavin… to those that say rude things as he passed in fancy dress and Gavin had to hear this and continue to push through the pain…not to mention the bottle throwing and the phone stealing attempt!! My word… it is for charity!
The UK is beautiful – Scotland so glad you are still with us!
I have been lucky to see so much of the UK in supporting Gavin when I could at weekends and in my holiday days….
The Scottish Highlands took my breath away… something I would not have necessarily experienced with out Gavin’s challenge…. Scotland I am so glad you are still with us, we wouldn’t feel such a close island if not…
Down to my childhood favourite – Devon and Cornwall — poor Gavin not only in a lot of pain through the undulating hills after his run, I want to get some fitness now I am on holiday… so I drag him for more walking to some beautiful sites… near Bodmin Moors, and Tintagel…
GO out Explore our beautiful country !!!– thankfully I have seen a lot through this challenge….
Pain/Gain
Gavin certainly has had his own journey through this challenge and I am sure as it draws to an end with all the pain and injuries, and even with the money donated not being a high as he hoped…. He will be planning his next challenge already!!!
It has been the most pressure I think either of us have had in the first 6 months of a relationship…. Which many people have commented to us on this journey…..
Personally, for me it has only been mentally exhausting… (not mentally and physically like it has for Gavin)…
I will always feel I didn’t do enough with the media or sponsorship… as this is something I agreed to do… fitting it around my work commitments, and with the worry each day if he is ok… or sustaining a long term injury or illness of his own…
The jibes of onlookers that comment on his fancy dress …. No one knows how deep that hurts Gavin when he is just trying to make a difference….
Gavin doesn’t let on the pain he is in, he hides it well, but I know, I see the tears fill as he gets up and stands up on his leg as the pain jolts in….
Personally, I think Gavin could do with less of a worrier as a girlfriend… I know this is Gavin’s own journey …and I am just a bystander that has agreed to support as much as I can… he wouldn’t have not done 45 marathons… with the added wheelchair, barrel and fancy dress to add to the complexity and difficulty of the challenge… but when I haven’t heard anything for 5 hours I start to panic and check where he is, hoping he isn’t in a ditch or a hospital… !!!!
Gavin must think…. “Oh my word…. I have enough to be worrying about… just let me do my marathons!!” LOL ! bless him…
Ultimately, he is amazing for putting himself through this in order to help others ….I know it will make a difference to so many… and I will let him share his next ideas to continue to raise money for this much needed rehabilitation equipment… I know his passion, grit and determination and so may say madness will push him on….
I know that many others would have fell by the wayside by now… he is My Amazing Trooper!! (with a heart of gold, and a little bit of a rrrr roar sometimes)..
Well done hunni…. You should be more than proud of yourself!!!!
YOU CAN AND DID..!!!
You deserve a good rest now to recover — please do !!! (I know he wont!)
Much love Hayley (Miss H)… xxx
