Sincere thanks to all those who have followed, shared, joined me and donated towards my 13 in 13 Challenge. I am truly humbled by the messages of encouragement and support, and a little overwhelmed by the generosity so many have shown. Your donations will allow CRY to continue its incredible work, helping to prevent young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening and research, and supporting affected families (more details about how CRY use donations can be found on their website at https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/crys-costs/).

After a year of preparation to build up tolerance in my legs, 2,622 miles of training, more blister plasters than I care to remember, 13 days on the roads following a variety of routes and in all weathers, I am delighted to report that we finally got there. Half marathon #13 finished and my 13 in 13 Challenge completed. It was an incredible experience and I am so pleased to have been able to share it with so many of you, through your good luck messages, support at the start of my runs and en route, and in particular, to have been welcomed in to the finish line at Sugden Road (Surbiton HC) by Emma’s mum, sister and family friends. For anyone interested, daily run reports, photos and further details of my challenge are available at www.13in13.co.uk.

There were of course some tough moments during the challenge (that’s why they call these ‘challenges’ I guess). And, the final couple of half marathons, run in torrential rain, were two of the hardest, with the soles of my feet in particular rather sore. But there were so many highlights to reflect back upon too – the messages, the friends I bumped into en route, the support of the hockey community, etc. But two coincidences on the final day really stood out and made me smile:

• Firstly, the forecast for the last two days had promised dry weather for the majority at least of both runs. But, both days it poured down and got worse throughout! And then, 1 mile out from the finish, on the final day, it completely stopped and the sun came out for the home straight (thank you Broady!).
  
  

• And, secondly the donations… my first fundraising challenge in support of Cardiac Risk in the Young, back in 2017, raised £2,634 (plus a further £420 in Gift Aid). Approaching the finish on the final run, donations for my 13in 13 Challenge reached £8,343 (+ £1,746 in Gift Aid). Which, if you add all of that up, means that with only 10 minutes of a 13 day challenge remaining, we had reached a cumulative grand total of… you guessed it - £13,000. Amazing!! So the challenge starts and ends with #13. 

What Next?

Whilst I have a captive audience... in light of the upcoming General Election, CRY are writing to party leaders and asking them to commit to a National Strategy for the Prevention of Young Sudden Cardiac Death. We would be hugely grateful if you would sign the letter in support and share this message with your friends and family: https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/election2024/. It will take just a few seconds but could help eliminate the horrendous impact of these tragedies on families, friends and local communities.