Hockey clubs take on half marathon for charity

For the third year in a row brave members of the University of Warwick Mens and Ladies Hockey Club united to run the Shakespeare Half Marathon, on 29th April. This year saw 24 participants, the largest group to so far take on the challenge, a prospect made significantly less appealing by the gale-force winds and relentless rain that drenched the Midlands for the duration of the run.

Undeterred by the terrible conditions (that saw the full marathon usually run in conjunction with the half completely cancelled), everyone can be proud of their efforts in making it round the course in good time. Particularly astonishing was the effort of Robbie Newport, whose training clearly paid off as he recorded the fastest time over the three years the club has entered, a superb 1hr 30 minutes. Billie Shepherd and Katie Bell came in soon after to finish joint first for the girls, with a great time of 1hr 47 minutes.

But as usual the event was not about individuals trying to record the best time. Once again the two clubs were running in aid of their respective charities, who this year were Macmillan Cancer Support and the Debbie Fund. Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support to those suffering and their loved ones. The Debbie Fund is set up in memory of Debbie Phillips, who died of Cervical Cancer, and aims to raise funds to ensure that a team of scientists at University College London can carry out crucial research, and hopefully one day find a cure.

So far the two clubs have raised a combined £3800, rapidly closing in on their target of £4000. Achieving that would be a superb effort on behalf of both clubs, and hopefully make a real difference to two extremely worthwhile causes. Donations are still being accepted through the following JustGiving pages:

http://www.justgiving.com/UWMHC

http://www.justgiving.com/UWLHC