The End

Posted by martin.parnell |

Below are the Latest Marathon stats:

  • Marathon: #250 (0 to go, 0 day left)
  • Date: Friday Dec 31st 2010
  • Donations to date: $208,036.50.50
  • Course: Spray Lake Family Sports Centre, Cochrane, Alberta
  • Run time: 4hr 36min 50sec (See Garmin Connect)
  • Aver. Heart Rate: 118 BPM
  • Temperature C: -27C
  • Distance covered to date: 10,550.0km (6,550.0ml)
  • Total number of runners: 362

Where do I start? I guess the weather. I checked the thermometer outside the front door and it read -27C. On Jan 1st 2010, when I started Marathon Quest 250, it was -32C so today was a little warmer. Sue and I packed up a bag containing a Right To Play banner, MQ 250 pamphlets and posters. We headed down to the Centre and arrived there at 8.00am. It was already a hub of activity. Mark from Trailblazers was setting up the raffle stall and Bobbi had collected the two vats of Tim Horton's coffee and hot chocolate. By 9.00am there were 30  runners, bundled up, and at the sound of the whistle we were off.

The course was a 2km out and back along the Bow. The scene was stunning with frost-covered trees and mini ice-bergs floating down river. We were joined by camera crews from CTV, CBC and Global. At 10.30am I had a call from Tony Harris of CNN. Tony had contacted me exactly a year ago and called me nuts. It was great to tell him, that in my opinion, I wasn't. All through the day we had adults and kids join us and by km 40 there were over 300 runners on the pathway. I had been told that at the end I was to come around, on my own, to the back of the centre and enter through the goal of the indoor soccer field. I knew entering the arena on my own was not the way to do it so I rounded up a group of kids and we all ran in together. Fantastic.

By the end of the day, donations had reached $15,195.86 for Right To Play. My favourite donor was 6 year old Kimmy. She came up to me, with her mum, and said that she had saved $2 from her Christmas money and wanted to give it to help the kids.

Avatar Marathon Martin is back in Cochrane and enjoying a well-deserved rest.

Thank you to everyone who supported me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2011. Over and out.

Dr Randolph Randolph's book of animal jokes (bear's)

Q: How do you start a teddy bear race?
A: Ready, teddy, go!

Quote of the Day

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Running with the kids on the final 2km of Marathon Quest 250

250 kids

 

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