Adam Panter, Susie Rees and Irene Liming ran the 2012 Virgin London
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| Adam Panter |
Marathon for Thrive this year and we'd like to thank them for their amazing efforts.
Adam Panter, from Stotfold near Hitchen in Hertfordshire ran his first ever marathon on Sunday April 22, raised lots of money for Thrive (almost £1,500) and crossed the finishing line with pop star Will Young!
The 39-year-old works as a senior designer and won Thrive's silver bond place in the London Marathon. He ran in 4hrs 34.
Adam is married to Sarah and has two step children, Honor, aged ten and Bryn, 11. His family are so proud of him.
He said: "It was just an amazing day. The atmosphere was fantastic, there were bands playing and people cheering you on everywhere.
"I got caught up in this and ran too fast at the start. For the first ten miles I kept thinking, wow, I feel great, then I realised my pace was too quick.
"Running past the Cutty Sark, London Eye and Big Ben were highlights, as well as The Mall, which means you're nearly at the end!"
Adam has only been running for two and a half years. He said the opportunity to tackle his first marathon for a charity as worthwhile as Thrive was just too good an opportunity to miss.
"Thrive is an organisation which is close to my heart for two main reasons. Firstly, my wife Sarah works as a Horticultural Co-ordinator teaching disabled adults the skills required to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers.
"She also suffers from depression and her love of gardening, both at work and on our own allotment, has helped her cope with this. Through her I have seen the way horticultural therapy has helped her and others cope with both physical disabilities and mental health issues.
"Secondly, my step son Bryn has Cerebral Palsy. Although he is wheelchair-bound he loves spending time on our allotment sowing seeds, enjoying the fresh air and, ultimately, enjoying the fruits of his labour!
"Thrive's work benefits people of all abilities in many different ways; physically, mentally and socially. This kind of therapy is beginning to be recognised and supported by the medical profession yet is still widely unknown to the public at large.
"I feel that any additional exposure that can be brought to Thrive and the work they do would benefit not only Thrive as an organisation but the lives of many people who are looking for additional or alternative therapies to help them overcome their own personal illness.
"Having a beautiful family supporting me and a fantastic charity to run for are all the motivation I need to hit the ground running! Wish me luck!"
SUSIE REES
This was the first marathon for Reading runner Susie Rees and she raised an amazing £500 for Thrive.
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| Susie Rees |
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Susie, aged 27 is a member of Reading Road Runners and is delighted to have swapped marshalling the race for running it.
"I got my place because I’ve marshalled in the past, and this year I will know a lot of the marshals from our running club, so the support will be great," said Susie, who works at Bridges, the respite centre for disabled children in Woodley.
Susie took up running in 2008 after a bout of depression and said that exercise has really helped her. She’s also given up smoking and felt positive about the run which she completed in 4hrs 30.
"The buzz was amazing and it’s a great first marathon to run!"
Susie said she chose to raise money for Thrive because she has seen such positive, uplifting reactions from some of the children she accompanies to the charity.
"I take some of the children from Bridges to Thrive every Tuesday in the school holidays and the multi-sensory experience they get from being there is remarkable. I just think Thrive does such great work and want to support them," she said.
IRENE LIMING
And just a few weeks ago we heard that Susie's friend Irene Liming, also from Reading, decided to raise money for Thrive. Irene's time was 4hrs 39 and she has raised £500 for us. THANK YOU ALL
To sponsor Susie, click HERE Thank you