The End of the Road.

Apr 30th, 2008 by Neil in Daily Marathon

The End of the Road………!

My Marathon Challenge reached a successful conclusion after I returned to Fuguei Cape, the most Northern point of Taiwan just after Midnight on the 30th April. I ran a Marathon (42.2km) a day for 30 consecutive days and in the final 3 days of my challenge I ran 50km’s a day to ensure that I did not have to run on May 1st. What an incredible adventure it was, with each day providing a unique test. The support I received not only from friends but also the Taiwanese people was overwhelming and heartfelt.

The mountains of the East represented the most demanding aspect of the challenge but my body adapted well to the rigour of the continual up and down hill. In contrast the West coast was flat and allowed me to run at a good pace. As I entered the final week, my body felt strong and this acted as a catalyst to run further than the Marathon distance in the final 3 Days.

During the Month of April, 15 guys completed their first Marathons with me: 5 from The Mighty Shane F.C (Tommy-Boy, Kevin of the Shire, Stevie, Goughie and Andy C ), 8 from Taipei City F.C ( John, Spencer, Steve, Ross, Chris, Tim, Wes and Michael ) and also Kiwi Chris and Celts Steven. Congratulations to each of you.

The support I received from Kevin of the Shire going down the East coast and Keelung Dave going up the West coast was immense. But the person who made this challenge possible for me was a certain Ms Alice Davis. Her hard work measuring the distance each day was meticulous and her support at drink-stops and sorting out accommodation each night was essential. Our daily routine became like clockwork.

I’m sure everyone would agree also that the blog written by Alice has been both informative and entertaining and I would surmise that Alice has a future in Editorial writing. To undertake a challenge like this and be successful requires close friendship and trust in the other person. Both myself and Alice are relatively argumentative as you can detect from the blog entries but any arguments which did arise were always resolved swiftly. We have similar senses of humour so we would find even the most random of things funny.

The highs and lows of each day required both of us to adapt to the moods of each other and Alice’s effortless ability to make me laugh was key in offsetting any potential indifferent moods on my part. By her creating such an environment it allowed my running to flourish and thus achieve my aims. Alice loves an adventure and what an adventure we had. It was without question one of, if not, the best experiences of my life.

The amount of money donated has been fantastic in both Taiwan and the UK. So far over £5,000 has been raised for both Charities. For those who would like to donate to either Cancer Research UK or the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders, log on to www.marathonmad.com where you can donate online or you can donate in cash at any Shane school or direct to Dave Roberts (Shane Head Office) in Taipei. Please dig deep as even the smallest amount will make a big difference.

Cheers,

Neil
neil010780@yahoo.com