The Final Total!

Total Raised
£6000
A HUGE thank you to all who have contributed and helped along the way. Outstanding work!



The Story Behind The Run

The Story Behind The Run
Matt and Chris
The Story Behind The Run
On the 1st October 2009 Chris Taaffe's (28) life was literally turned upside down!

Chris was involved in a serious motorbike accident which left him in a coma for many weeks. He is a very good friend of mine and I, and his many friends, found this very hard to cope with especially as five or six weeks earlier he and I were canoeing in the Lake District blissfully unaware of what the future had in store.

Thanks to the rapid response of the East Anglian Air Ambulance he was given the best possible chance of surviving his horrific crash. The first 24 hours were crucial and everyone waited with baited breath to hear any news. It is impossible to imagine what his family went through that night. Chris was flown to Addenbrookes Critical Care Unit in Cambridge where he was given round-the-clock care and treatment by the best possible team of experts. He was there for a few months and then moved to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and then to the Colman centre for Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation. He is still there now and progressing well thanks to the amazing rehabilitation scheme and care that is in place for him.
I am writing this to ask for your help. I need to raise local support and awareness for my run in August/September from John o' Groats to Lands End to raise money for the three main organisations that helped get Chris through his ordeal. Without the expertly trained staff and medical teams involved in the organisation many people, including Chris, would die or have little chance of recovery. It's time to give something back.

I am an experienced runner having completed two London Marathons, I've also run Hadrian's wall (Newcastle to Carlisle) and now I plan to run the length of Britain to raise a significant amount of money to keep the Air Ambulance, Addenbrookes and the Colman Centre open for those suffering now and for those who may suffer in the future.

The run will be long, tough and emotions will run high but with your help and the help and determination of the six volunteers who are providing back up and planning, the goal will be achieved and we will raise many thousands of pounds to save lives...........................maybe even yours.

If you can help to promote or sponsor this worthy cause or provide funding towards the cost of the venture, I and my team will be very grateful indeed.

To donate please use the buttons on this page or send a cheque using the information provided.

Many many thanks

Matt

Job Done....

JOB DONE!
Monday 13th September at 12:19

Matt crossed the finish line at Land's End!

After 28.5 days and no days off!
He had a small deputation to greet him and was interviewed on radio Norfolk just before 1PM.



Monday 23 August 2010

Monday 23rd August- 3.18. Aberfeldy or Bust

Once again Matty has amazed me.  It doesn't matter how knackered or in pain he is when he comes back in the evening, he showers, has food and a massage and by the morning he is up and ready to run again.  The man has my admiration as I don't think I could do it.

Let me explain at little of what Matt is going through each day......30 miles of road and traffic....although he's now off the main roads for a while......pushing himself through the pain barrier, through wind and rain....occasionally sunshine!  His shin splints are not quite as painful as they were (good news) but he has a very swollen ankle as the tendons connecting his foot are inflamed with over use and the fact that his left knee pain is causing him to run with an awkward gate and not the way he should (bad news). Still...........he goes on.  NOT to prove a point, as he is in no way  out to permanently damage his young body; but for Chris and the 'cause'.  He needs your support...all the time.....but we need to make his effort worthwhile, so please donate what you can and show him the totals on the blog donate buttons are going up......this will make a huge difference to him at this time.

We have met many generous people on our journey who have given freely of their money and time to find out what Matt is doing.  But not just money, offers of free swims and beds and cottages to stay in and people willing to pay for hotel rooms so he can soak his aching limbs in the bath.  For all of this, Matty is extremely grateful,although at the back of his mind is 'the cause' and feeling that the money should not go to him, but to the charities he is running for.  An added dilemma for him to brood over while he is running.  For, if he can't keep running.......in his head.......'the cause' will fail.

So, the going is tough, not a run in the park, but a HUGE undertaking, which Matty has willingly taken on, not for self gain, but to raise money for charities that, one day, WE or somebody we know may need...............Run Matty.......run, run.............

Off my soap box....................Matty started running at 8 this morning, in good spirits and looking forward to getting onto some quieter roads.  They were quieter all right...single track across the wild Scottish moors.  Utterly stunning scenery, but a bugger on the knee.  Up and down, round and round....more like Fell running than marathon running.  Then, it started to rain with just ten miles to the finish.  A quick change of clothes from the roaming support car, a bite to eat and within ten minutes, back on the road again....I'm waiting at Aberfeldy now to pick him up and take him back to the campsite where he still has another free swim and sauna booked.   Today he will have reached the 210 mile mark.....in a week....
WELL DONE MATT R KID!!!!!!

2 comments:

  1. Truly amazing Matty you are doing a fantastic job and with two women to look after your needs then GO MATTY GO!!
    x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I second that Franny.
    Matty...you are doing brilliantly.
    So proud.
    JB will havethe strongest thumbs in Banham!!

    ReplyDelete