Helen Curtin, 30, has travelled further than 26.2 miles to take part in this year’s London Marathon for Spinal Research – she has come all the way from, Queenstown, New Zealand. So why did she travel all that way to run for us? Here is her story.
The day of the Flora London Marathon held rainy skies and chilly winds. There were 32,101 starters in the marathon, despite the worst conditions in the race’s 24 year history and I was up at 5am to make it to the start line.
We started at 10.45am and the atmosphere was really amazing - crowds lining the whole streets, bands playing, and everyone cheering you on. About 5 miles down we are funnelled in with the other start, and further along at the 7 mile mark I was passed by a ‘Womble’ - not impressed at all!!
I noticed the various charity vests people were wearing and read the signs people had on: ‘In loving memory of my wife’ was one pinned to an older gentleman in his 70’s running, making me realise everyone is out there for a different reason.
So I focused on the reason I was running – Debbie, my friend, was a top jumps jockey in New Zealand. She became the first woman jumps jockey to ride the winner of the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase. On 28th June 2003 she had a fall in a race, and broke two vertebrae and crushed another, and as a result she is now paralysed from the waist down.
My cousin Anne-Maree is very well known in the horse racing and show jumping scene in the South Island. She had a fall at a show jumping day. As a result, she is now paralysed from the neck down and she has only recently been taken off the respiratory machine that has been helping her to breathe.
The fact that both Debbie and Anne-Maree will never walk again made me really centre my energy on what I was doing – surely I could run 26 miles for them, and for Spinal Research.
The Spinal Research team were stationed between the 19-20 mile mark, so they cheered me on and a few ex-pats spotted me and yelled out. My flatmates were at the 20 mile mark, where I found them looking quite wet! At this point I also passed that ‘Womble’, much to my relief.
I would recommend the marathon to anyone. I loved every minute of it and now I have a big medal to prove I did it (as well as the loss of three toenails - very attractive for summer!).
The fundraising is coming along, mostly through people sponsoring me, running raffles, and collecting in two West London pubs, but I am aiming for £1400 –1500 for Spinal Research. My website, www.justgiving.com\kiwiscan is a secure website, where anyone who wishes to can make an online donation to Spinal Research. Every donation helps Spinal Research come closer to funding clinical trials involving those paralysed by spinal cord damage.
If you are involved in any sport or just enjoy the outdoors, then just imagine in a split second, how a simple accident in a rugby scrum, diving into a pool or falling off a horse can change everything. Then your everyday tasks become a true challenge – from getting out of bed, to going to the toilet to catching public transport. The work that Spinal Research is funding could one day lead to the restoration of sensation and movement in those paralysed by spinal cord injury and to me, that’s worth running 26.2 miles for.
