Before the race there were months of training and diets to stick to, with strict regimes and set distances to achieve. Darren was on a strict ‘no beer’ diet, sticking to rum and diet cokes the night before the race. Mark loaded up on carbs the night before with a plate full of fish and chips. This was followed by a Guinness to wash it all down and to help settle the nerves.

The morning of the run turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. Mark considered running in Lycra, but luckily thought of the spectators and decided against the idea. After a mouthful of painkillers and half a tub of deep heat, they were ready for their group warm up from Mrs Motivator and the start of the race. After letting all the women, children and OAP’s go in front at the start line, Darren and Mark strategically placed themselves near the back of the pack. Then the countdown began and with Brian on hand to capture the nerves on their faces.

Then they were off, the 13.1 mile run underway. Mark and Darren ran the first mile together, opting for a casual pace at the start, so as not to overdo it. With the second mile marker in sight the team split. Mark decided to up the pace, to beat the time he was set and to make Jeff double his sponsorship money. 12 miles later, Mark came in with a time of 1h 30min, closely followed by Darren with a time of 2 hours. Both runners very pleased with the achievement of just finishing, with the added bonus of hitting their target times.

After the warm down, a trip to the pub was in order to top up the fluid levels and meet Neil. They received a warm reception from their many supporters, which included family, friends and Amazon colleagues. Neil showed his appreciation for the kind donation. The generosity shown was amazing, with a staggering £1120.00 raised for a worthy cause.

Thank you to everyone who contributed