TLDR: I’m ruining my weekends and making myself pained for a while and it seems a great opportunity to support an important cause – sponsor my attempts to run an Ultra Marathon!
At the beginning of October, I will be taking part in the “Ultra Pirineu” Ultra-marathon. This delightful challenge consists of a 56 km run up and over some of the most stunning mountains in the Pyrennes – and when they say up, they really mean it. If a marathon and a quarter wasn’t enough, the course also includes over 2,800 vertical metres of ascent – thats over two Ben Nevis’s, the UK’s tallest mountain.
I’m somewhat concerned.
A collection of half marathons, runs in the Swiss Alps, and the failed attempt to run a marathon in Iran (visa denial led me to just run 51km around my home town of Shrewsbury instead…) punctuate my running history. It was a message from an old colleague and friend (and serious athlete) Pani who tempted me with this cool sounding trail run, not too far from Barcelona, and with my competitiveness flaring its head, I signed up.
Since moving to Barcelona, I’ve joined Midnight Runners, a social running & fitness club, who do weekly 5km and 10km runs combined with HIIT style exercises. Similar in style to other clubs I’ve been a part of in London (Project Awesome), this collection of international souls is a highlight of my week, and as well as improving my strength no end it’s also been a great social crutch for someone moving to a foreign city. The vibe and energy the captains bring to every session is inspirational, and it’s a fantastic way to meet new like-minded people.
However, these trainings would not be sufficient to prepare myself for this ultra, so I’ve been trying to get out pretty regularly and get some kilometres on the legs. In August alone, I ran 239 km, and just over 1,070km so far in 2019. With the run just 4 weeks away now, I’ll look to peak my runs over these next few weeks, and then slow down a bit as I approach the run itself.
Now, why the need for the blog post you ask. A cause which has drifted away from our consciousness recently is the migrant crisis occurring across the Middle East and in Greece. I can still remember the visceral images from the Summer of 2015 where hundreds of thousands of migrants fled desperate situations and tried to make a better life for themselves and their families in Europe. Hundreds of boats a day landing in Lesbos and other Greek islands, families attempting to walk across thousands of kilometres, and more tragedies than you would ever want to count. Now in 2019, whilst we are no longer seeing those vast incomprehensible amounts of people making the treacherous journey, there are still many thousands fleeing for their lives. The latest report from the UN Refugee Agency state there are 70.8 million displaced people across the world, as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. This is the highest number in human history.
foodKIND is a charity set up in 2015 to provide food and compassion to refugees and displaced people in crisis by two quite extraordinary woman, who saw a human need not being fulfilled and decided they could help. You can read my previous experiences with foodKIND here https://pridding.co.uk/foodkind-october-2016, but essentially they support migrants who are in crisis situations and provide some food security. These migrants might be in government-run camps, sleeping rough on the streets, or anything in-between – foodKIND looks to serve those most in need.
Having been to Greece twice to volunteer with foodKIND, I have seen first hand the incredible difference they make. To ensure they can continue to do the great work they have been doing for the past 4 years, they need our support. Every 1 EUR foodKIND receives enables them to serve 3 meals, and with it being summer, the numbers of people at the camps has rocketed recently, meaning we are reaching the limit in who we can serve.
If you are able to, it would mean a lot to me if you could help support this fantastic cause. An added benefit would be that it would provide a huge amount of encouragement to me on my ridiculous run if I knew you had supported me, and give me added impetus to get over those long, long kilometres.
Check the link above to donate and support this great organisation!
If you’ve made it this far through my post, be sure to follow foodKIND on Instagram & Facebook! The work they do is a constant inspiration to me. Otherwise, wish me luck!
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