On the 30th August 2015 I took to the streets of Da Nang in Central Vietnam to run my very first marathon.
I encourage you to watch the Official Da Nang International Marathon 2015 video and have shared it with this intention. If you fast forward the video to 3 minutes 57 seconds, you’ll see me in action, offering a few choice words of encouragement and inspiration.
I had trained religiously, following a 16-week marathon training plan, which began in early May. The experience was an unforgettable one for many reasons. Below is the Facebook post which followed immediately after the triumph.
We did it
My RunKeeper tracked it as 26.48 miles in 3:41:43.Lost for words right now, so I’m going to soak it all in and enjoy the day. But I’m excited to share my experiences in the coming weeks.
Thank you so much for your support, words of encouragement and donations. Without the donations this would have just been a personal achievement, but with your generous giving it’s become something far greater.
As of writing this we have raised £1,040.05 for Mind: The Mental Health Charity… That’s most definitely a reason to be #Smilinggg.
Please keep the donations coming in http://www.JustGiving.com/Smilinggg
I’m gonna hobble off and find some food!!!
Thank you again. It means more than you’ll ever know!
Steps + Smiles
JC
The best part of the marathon was the money raised for Mind: The Mental Health Charity. I reached out to my network of friends and family and was blown away by their support. £1,303.04 was sent to the charity on this occasion. Exceeding my initial £500 target by a truly whopping 260%.
For the full photo album please visit my Facebook page, which houses more snaps from the day.