JANUARY NEWSLETTER

MARATHON ENTRIES STILL AVAILABLE

Standard entries to the 2010 Edinburgh Marathon closed on 3rd January but if you would like to run the marathon you still can.  We have over 200 charities with guaranteed places in the marathon who would all love to have you running for them. Running a marathon for charity can be an immensely rewarding experience and the support and fundraising advice from the charities means that fundraising can be fun and exciting.  Visit the Edinburgh Marathon website to enter for charity or click here.

Entries are also available for the Scottish Half Marathon and the Hairy Haggis Team Relay.  The Team Relay entries are limited to the first 1,200 teams and entries to the Scottish Half are also on a first-come, first-served basis so if you don't want to miss out please visit www.edinburgh-marathon.com now. You can also enter the team relay for charity and split the marathon distance and fundraising between your team.

FIVE FREE MARATHON PLACES UP FOR GRABS

The Edinburgh Marathon has teamed up with Scotland's National Newspaper the Scotsman to give our newsletter readers a chance to win one of five free places in the Marathon.  The Scotsman has five places for the full marathon to give away. To enter simply pick up a copy of the Scotsman Newspaper this Saturday 23rd January and turn to the Sports Section for your chance to win!!

LUCOZADE SPORT - FUELLING YOU TO THE FINISH LINE

This January, to help you prepare for the journey ahead, Lucozade Sport is giving you there best ever offer - 50% off a wide range of running essentials!

Simply go to www.lucozadeshop.com and start shopping with the leaders in safe sports nutrition and we'll give you a massive 50% off your first purchase when you enter 'INTROFIFTY' at the checkout. It's our way of getting your running off to the best start in 2010.'

HOPE FOR CHILDREN

If you're looking to get fit and do more for charity this year, then run for Hope for Children and raise money for orphaned, poor and exploited children

We have places in:

Kilomathon, England - 14 March 2010
Edinburgh Marathon - 23 May 2010
Kilomathon, Scotland - 3 October 2010
Brighton Marathon - 18 April 2010
London Marathon - 25 April 2010

We will support you every step of the way, benefitting from:

• First class training and fundraising support
• A Hope for Children running vest
• Lots of encouragement during the race from our on route cheer points
• Post-race facilities so that you, your family and friends can relax and unwind

Whether you're a first time runner, or trying to beat you personal best, we'd love to have you run for us!

To register, click here or email Rachel on rs@hope4c.org or 0844 7799774

CLIVES STORY

I am a 56 year old ex runner who went through the running boom of the eighties and managed a respectable (for me) 1 hour 29 minutes half marathon and a 3 hours 35 minute marathon. Believing I couldn't beat those times my interest fell away and eventually I stopped running.

Being in your fifties with little or no exercise is not the best way to be so I started to jog very short distances and walk up hills trying to improve my fitness but needing something to spur me on to bigger things.

The spur came with the birth of my grandson Lewis who was diagnosed, before being born, as suffering from Tuberous Sclerosis, something of which we, as a family, had no knowledge.

Looking this up on the internet we discovered that these tubers can affect the heart, liver, brain and other organs, sometimes delaying or stopping growth in those organs. In the case of Lewis it stopped the growth of part of his brain which means that mentally he will be spending his life trying to catch up with his real age although physically he is a beautiful bouncing baby.

The obvious thing to do was to start training and run a race for charity as the Tuberous Sclerosis Association had told us that the cause is sometimes genetic, sometimes not anything to do with genetics and a lot more research needed to be done to find out the underlying causes. 

In the eighties running boom I had completed six marathons and can still remember the pain involved. Looking through the list I noticed that I had done Cardiff (nearest to home) and also London - two capitals but also two homes of rugby football which is at the centre of all our families passion. The obvious next choice was Edinburgh with a hopeful follow up of Dublin to complete the triple crown  nations. More can be found about me and my quest at www.justgiving.com/stillgoingjust

TELL US YOUR STORY

Have you a story to tell about why you are running the marathon or scottish half marathon? If so, please tell us about it and we could help you highlight your story in our eNewsletter. The eNewsletter currently goes out to over 40,000 members.  Local newspapers are always wiling to highlight stories and it could help you raise funds for your charity. Click here or email us at adele@gsi-events.com with your story.