BlobbyJogger

We’d already worked out that I probably walked a bit faster than her, so agreed to start together but part ways when I needed to speed up, or she needed to slow down. After being entertained and dancing around the tent for a while eagerly awaiting our start time, the first of four massive groups set off around 10.30pm. We were in the third group to go – the Green Team – and at 11.48pm Rachel and I crossed the start line…

The first few miles were a bit slow – it’s amazing how much time it takes for 400 people to cross the road when you’ve all got to wait for the green man… but slowly along the north side of the Thames we got into our stride. Crossing over London Bridge in a sea of pink is something to behold… and overtaking Anthea Turner just before mile ten was a proud moment, especially as she’d been in the first group to start walking and they’d set off over an hour before us! Another proud moment was when a few soldiers gave me a big shout out… Seems writing your name on your right boob gets you noticed!

Just after The London Eye, Rachel and I said our goodbyes as I was still happily pounding the pavement, but she was feeling a little worn continuing at my speed. So, headphones in, and off I plodded.

At mile 13.1, in the middle of Battersea Park, I had a quick pit stop for a potty break and a banana (not at the same time!), then just kept on putting one foot in front of the other. I could see others were starting to suffer and by mile 16, several people were really having problems as blisters were shredding, and muscles aching. Thankfully I was very lucky, and didn’t have any problems with my feet or legs, so turned up the music and carried on. As the sun came up around 5am, I felt a sense of real wonder as the light slowly started to shine through the Houses of Parliament. Still a way to go, but there was no longer any doubt that I’d do it. I had hoped that with the right conditions, I’d try to complete the Marathon in around 7hrs, so putting on a bit of a spurt, I pushed myself a little bit more.

Coming back into Hyde Park was both joyful and cruel – we’d still got another couple of miles to go, despite being almost spitting distance from the big pink tents – as they made us walk around the Serpentine to finish the final few steps of the 26.2miles. At exactly 6.48am I crossed the finish line, precisely 7hrs after starting, where we were all presented with our Finishers Medal. Amazing! And not a single blister!!

I am so happy I’ve done the MoonWalk. It’s something I’ve thought about for a few years, and as I mentioned in Learning To Fly doing it now was absolutely the right time. So, I’d like to dedicate the funds raised in memory of my Aunty Freda. Although sadly she’s no longer here to find out that with your amazing generosity, I’ve managed to raise over £1000 with GiftAid for Walk The Walk and Breast Cancer Awareness. If you want to help push that total up just a little bit more, you can still donate, as my fundraising page will remain open for a while longer. Thank you!

If you’ve never heard of the Walk The Walk charity or the MoonWalk before, you can find out all about it HERE at the official Walk The Walk website, or just watch this short film…

FACT: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with one in eight women experiencing some form of the disease in their lifetime.

FACT: Approximately 300 men a year suffer from breast cancer.

FACT: 125 women every day are diagnosed with breast cancer.

FACT: 1000 people a month lose their life to breast cancer.

My official fundraising page can be found at

http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/tracymanser

Please sponsor me.  Every single penny really will help make a difference.  Thank you.

*Marathon – No longer a peanut filled chocolate bar. It is in fact 26 miles 385 yards or 42.1648128 kilometres or lots and lots and lots and lots of steps… in a decorated bra!