Last updated 12 June 2004
The Seven Sisters of the Beachy Head
Marathon
Best Foot Forward!
As well as being good for the health, walking, jogging
and running are enjoyable, as a group of ladies from Bromley will confirm.
Representing Bromley Veterans A.C and Blackheath & Bromley Harriers - Shirley
Poole, Ann Leverett, Joan Burns, Chris Young, Jane Greenfield, Terri Shotton,
Rita White, Anne Cilia, Kate Pratten and Hannah Leach, will all be donning their
walking boots and trainers to walk, jog and run the Beachy Head cross-country
marathon on 23rd October 2004. Open to all categories of athletes (runners,
joggers and walkers) the all-terrain marathon starts in Eastbourne and follows
the South Downs Way north towards the Long Man near Wilmington, then west over
the top of Bostal Hill before it turns south towards the coast, taking in the
Seven Sisters and Beachy Head and finally finishing where it started in
Eastbourne (Duke’s Drive) some 26 hilly miles later. It’s a pitiless course!
Happily for supporters, there are plenty of pubs on route.
The DBS and The Parkinson’s
Appeal – A Sure Step Forward
As well as doing this for the fun of keeping fit, some of the ladies want
to use this challenge to raise money for the Parkinson’s Appeal. The
Parkinson’s Appeal is a charitable organization that is raising money to secure
the long-term future of the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) unit at London
University College Hospital. DBS is a pioneering technique that can be
used to enable sufferers to manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s.
The funds raised will help:
- Provide a dedicated operating theatre and equipment
- Facilitate an extensive research programme and
- Finance the training of neurosurgeons
The goal is for DBS to become as widely available
as possible on the NHS. The Blackheath & Bromley Harriers have already raised
over £5000 for the Parkinson’s Appeal when a number of their runners took part
in this year’s London Marathon and, with only a few weeks left to go, adopted
the charity for the event on the suggestion of long-time club member, Les
Roberts. Les won the 5000m at the Vets World Championships in Rome in 1985. Now
living with Parkinson’s, he still enjoys athletics and had the idea of calling
upon the club to raise money for the Parkinson’s Appeal after seeing Richard &
Judy interview a fellow Parkinsonian who has benefited greatly from DBS.
A Feminine Allure
Hannah Leach then decided that the Beachy Head Marathon would be a good
challenge to raise further funds. Formerly called the 7 Sisters Marathon, the
course has a particularly feminine allure, not least because before the current
course record of 2h 45 was set in 1991 by Mike Bradley of Chesham Harriers, it
was held for 5 years by a woman; in 1986 Sarah Rowell (then of the Dartford
Harriers now running for the Valley Striders) won both the men and the women’s
race in an extremely impressive 2h 49! Although the expectation is not to
challenge this record, Hannah’s idea was to try and bring together 7 ladies to
walk, jog or run the course and was delighted when she found out that 9 other
local ladies were already signed up to do the event. For some of the ladies,
undeterred by the rigours of the course, this will be a return to familiar
ground. The Beachy Head Marathon doesn’t get any easier from one year to the
next; for Kate and Hannah who have chosen this to be their debut at the marathon
it’s going to be tough baptism.
Your Support & A Date in
the Diary
You can encourage the “7+ Sisters” or (the Magnificent 7+) with their
challenge and show your support for the Parkinson's Appeal by pledging your
sponsorship. If you would like to make a donation you can send a cheque, made
payable to 7 Sisters for the Parkinson’s Appeal to:
Ms. H. Leach,
117 Croydon Road
Keston
Kent BR2 8HW
And why not make a note in your diaries for a day on the
South Downs, Saturday 23rd October, to cheer on the walkers and runners and
enjoy the beautiful scenery!
For more information:
The Parkinson’s Appeal and DBS :
http://www.parkinsonsappeal.com
The Beachy Head Marathon:
http://www.beachyheadmarathon.org.uk/
The runners in our team:
http://www.bandbhac.org.uk
