On Sunday 11th May myself and 3 other members of the Gibe Team took part in AJ Bell’s Great Bristol Run to raise money and awareness for the Alfie Nick Foundation.
Darren and Luke laced their trainers for the 10k and Bilal and I took on the challenge of the Half Marathon
I had participated in the Half Marathon before in 2021 and I do enjoy long weekend runs around Bristol as it’s such an interesting and attractive city to run around so I felt positive about it.
During my training I did a very hilly run which matched the distance of a half marathon 21.1km as a stamina check which was hard work but went well, also mixed my training with Pilates and a cardio class which involved squats, jumping, lunges so that my knees and other joints were supple and strong. I was feeling ready for the day.
The night before I made sure I ate lots of carbs (too much pasta to be honest with you, I felt a bit too full!) and went to bed early for a good night's sleep.
My puppy had other ideas.
I have an 11 week beagle / spaniel cross at home and she decided it would be more fun to keep me awake at 4am. I woke again at 7:45 and got myself prepared for the day. I like to do yoga before a long run, particularly on race day, so once that was done I had some coffee, protein bar, packed a bag with a change of clothes, gels, snacks, water and suntan lotion as it was a hot day with temperatures at 18 degrees already.
Now it was an hour before the race and the starting point was a 20 minute drive away so perfect time to head off, I requested an uber and after a worrying long wait a driver accepted my trip but he was 15 minutes away so I was nervous but hopeful about getting there on time.
He then cancelled my trip and another driver accepted it but he was 18 minutes away and the time now is 45 minutes before the race is due to start. I began to panic. I realised that I wouldn’t get there on time if I waited for him to get to me. It dawned on me that I’m going to have to leave my bag of preparation and restoration behind and run to the starting line of a half marathon in what was now 20 degree heat.
I set off wearing my running number, getting some pretty odd looks off people who must have thought I was smug enough to want to run my way there. I wanted to tell them that I wasn’t doing this by choice! In fact I tried to get another taxi as I got closer but no one wanted to accept my request.
As I approached the centre of Bristol there were crowds of people to push my way through but luckily with a lot of “excuse me, sorry, pardon mes” and after a tough 5 km sprint, I got there in time to find the starting point and 5 minutes later we were off. No time to get a drink to hydrate, toilet stop or quick snack for energy.
It was a beautiful morning but so hot. As I ran I could see all runners struggling with the temperature but the atmosphere was excellent and the entertainment that lined the streets as we ran was great fun, from samba drums to drag queen karaoke it definitely helped the mental (or pain) barriers that we were all experiencing! Not to mention the supportive and entertaining placards that people were holding. Added to this some familiar friendly faces from Gibe were watching and cheering us all on and when Luke and Darren finished their run they joined the spectators and it was such a boost to see people you know cheering you on. Where possible we ran over to them for a quick five on our way!
On such a hot day all the runners were trying to find what shade they could for relief but sadly there wasn’t much to hide in but the well positioned location of 2 showers to run through (I walked through the second to really make the most of it) allowed a brief moment of cool as the temperature kept rising.
We all made it to the end and had a celebratory drink together to cool down, compare experiences and rest our very tired legs. But the point of the day was to raise awareness and money for the Alfie Nick Foundation which is going brilliantly and we are proud to be able to support such a worthy, passionate cause.
A couple comments from the other runners:
Luke Hook: Aching today. Big time. It was good but way too hot. Enjoyed it though, and always love the race day vibes down there. My 10k time was 1:12 which is slow but I was aiming for 1:15 so I'll absolutely take it given the heat
Darren Evans: My time was 1:06:25. Had a nice steady start with Hooky as I tested to see how my leg was feeling and then all sense of teamwork went out the window at 6k when I realised I still had 4k left and I ran ahead to get it over and done with!
& Bilal Alyas: I knew I wouldn't be as fast as my practice runs because of the heat, thought 2 hours might be doable but changed my goal to just get to the end after the first 30 minutes. Which I did in 2h17mins. Loved the support, and I must have looked terrible because some random supporter just handed me a Lucozade bottle like half way in!
To celebrate their achievements and to further support the Alfie Nick Foundation some of team attended the Gala Launch Party.
It was a fabulous event all in aid of the Foundation. Celebrations and entertainment were in full swing with music and magicians captivating the guests. There was an auction with some amazing prizes and Luke did a great job starting off all the bidding before shyly retreating when the bids got too high! 100% of all proceeds raised that night went directly to supporting disadvantaged children and we've just heard from Nick at the foundation that a whopping £18,298 was raised!
In the run-up to the Great Bristol Run, Gibe raised £840, bringing our total along with our previous fundraising events to £980. We have £520 to go before we reach our fundraising goal for 2025. We will soon start planning our next event (we just want to give the runners a bit of time to get the feeling back in their legs!).
If you want to find out what we're doing next, keep an eye on our Just Giving page where we'll share more updates soon!
