31 August, 2009
On Saturday, Edd Nieburg and Ben Halliwell completed a gruelling 12 marathons in 13 days to raise funds for Thomley. Over 310 miles from their starting point, Edd and Ben ran back through Thomley’s gates, welcomed by 200 people attending our annual open day.
“A year ago, Edd contacted me to say that he and his friend Ben were planning to run to raise £20,000 for Thomley. True to their word, they trained for a year, took 2 weeks off work, gritted their teeth through hoards of blisters, horrible hills and excruciating nightly physio sessions. I am so impressed with what they have achieved and very relieved they are back in one piece. So far they have raised over £8,700 for Thomley. We are incredibly grateful for their support as this year has been financially tougher than most to raise the £250,000 necessary to keep the centre running”. Claire Acworth
“The first couple of days were really hard. I think the second day was the hardest, as we didn’t really know what to expect. The last few days were bad, as we were so close to finishing and we knew we had to get through it. I’m glad it’s over with. We both took two weeks’ annual leave, which we could have spent on a beach in Spain!” - Edd Nieburg
“I don’t think we really knew what to expect. The first week was tough on the body. At some points we were thinking of packing it in. After day 10 the body was saying ‘that’s enough’, but we pushed on. I was quite relieved at the end of it. We were welcomed back at Thomley by a huge gathering, as it was their open day” - Ben Halliwell
Along the way they gained support from Michael Heseltine (Former Deputy Prime Minister), Ed Vaizey (MP), Ken Bruce (Radio 2 Presenter and Patron to Thomley), Rory Bremner (Comedian), John Howell (MP) and Bryan Steel (Olympic cycling medallist and Sports Ambassador to Thomley).
To sponsor Edd and Ben, visit www.justgiving.com/thegreatcrosscountry or read more about their challenge on www.thegreatcrosscountryrun.co.uk
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