|
My heart was pounding fit
to burst, my lungs were on fire, and my legs felt like lead. “What the
hell am I doing pounding 5 miles round Draycote Water,” I thought, “when I
could be at home watching the tele”. Then I remembered the moment just
before we started the run when Tom appeared in his wheelchair, and
spontaneous applause erupted from every one of the 180 people who had come
to support him. I defy any one of them to deny that they had a lump in
their throat at that moment. It was certainly a moment that will live
long in my memory. Then I knew that the pain was all worth it. Just
seeing that familiar grin on Tom’s face made you realise that that there
are some things in life that we all take for granted, but which not
everyone can share.
The moment above came just about one mile into the five
that I had agreed to run. Only another four to go!! It was exactly a
week before when Andrew Salter told me about the run, and I said that I
would do it if he put the details onto Webby and asked for sponsorship
from the Lions’ supporters. So I had just one week to get my body in
shape for the rigours to come…and when your body’s the shape and age that
mine is, believe me a week just isn’t anywhere near long enough!! Luckily
I had bought some new trainers just a couple of weeks before and had
joined a gym with the intention of getting fit(ter). Nothing too
strenuous, just something that would allow me to climb three flights of
stairs to my office and be able to hold a conversation when I got there!!
Having had a couple of
sessions on the treadmill, cycle, cross trainer, and various other
implements of torture, I thought I had better do some road running, just
to familiarise my body with what was to come. For those of you that have
never sampled this delight……don’t!! Every bone in your body is jarred
with every step you take, your teeth chatter like Spanish castanets, and
small children and dogs appear from everywhere to make the event more like
an obstacle course!!
Thus you can see that
I turned up for Tom’s run on Saturday with a certain degree of fear and
trepidation. As it turned out it was a wholly uplifting experience,
though one that I would not like to repeat in a hurry!! It was brilliant
to see so many of Tom’s rugby team mates, work colleagues, and friends
turn out for him……testimony to the man’s character and infectious
personality. There were current and ex-Lions, players from Nottingham,
the club he played for, and from Esher, the club he was playing against on that fateful day. Some people had
agreed to run 5 miles (like me), whilst others had opted for 10 miles (I
think that I would still be going now!!). People like Sam Tovo who is
injured and unable to run, committed to doing 4 laps of the 5 mile course
on his bike!! Others like Paul Shadbolt, also unable to run, mounted his
bike to keep a constant vigil on the runners to make sure none of them
fell by the wayside, to be dragged into the undergrowth by the wildlife
that populates the Country
Park.
The event was preceded
by a 5 minute warm up, ably demonstrated by Shads and “tiny” Tim Collier.
Tim completed 10 miles in impressive style alongside Matt Tassel……although
it looked as though Tass ran twice as far with the speed his legs were
going compared to Tim. Then it was time to congregate at the start line.
I asked for a delay so that I could recover from the warm up, but Thommo
said that we were running behind schedule. Then we were off. A nice
steady pace……don’t worry about all these young ladies passing you……in fact
look on it as a bonus……the view was uplifting!! After about a mile……well,
we’re back to the start of my story.
But I did manage to
finish, and in just under 1 hour……honest!! Dave Rushall was there taking
photographs and can verify this for the non-believers!! The first man
home on the 10 mile run finished about a minute behind me!!
Well done to Paul
Thompson for organising the event, and to his helpers who made the day
such a success. Thanks also to Thorntons who provided each entrant with a
lucky bag of their goodies ……...although you had to complete the course
before you got one!! And of course thanks to everyone who turned up and
ran on behalf of the great man. It was brilliant to see him there, and
still with a smile on his face. It certainly kept me going for 5 miles.
Finally, thanks to
everyone that has sponsored me. To date I have collected just over £200
from friends, work colleagues, and a few Lions’ supporters……thanks to
Dennis Keen, Dave and Sheila Mann, Dave Rushall and Andrew Salter……but
what about the rest of you?? If I can drag my body 5 miles around
Draycote Water, surely the very least you can do is get your hand in your
pocket to support Tom. Andrew Salter is still accepting cheques, so it’s
not too late. Send Cheque made
payable to :The Tom Woolrich Trust fund. c/o Salters 6 & 7 High St Rugby.
CV21 3BG
See you all in a few
weeks for the start of the season!! |
 |
