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Marathon effort for the Hospice

Local personal trainer and fitness instructor Helen Monkman ran the Edinburgh Marathon on 26th May in memory of two special ladies and raised £1,300 for Hartlepool & District Hospice.

The first lady was her Mam, Veronica Lorimer who died in 2011 from a brain tumor and the second lady was Liz Horwood who was the Mam of one of her close friends.  Both of the ladies died from cancer related illnesses and both had received care from hospices.

“I hope you never have to experience a loved one being in a hospice but if you do you will know how valuable their care and support is.  They are amazing places and the staff that run them are unique”

Helen

Helen said“My Mam wanted to raise money for the Hospice to thank them in some way for the care she had received but sadly that day never came.  I promised my Mam I would run a marathon and raise money on her behalf so in May of this year this is what I did.”

Helen trained for several months leading up to the marathon and got up to 22 miles in her training and felt prepared and ready for it.

On the day of the run it could not have begun any better for Helen and at the half marathon point she was faster than her personal best. She was so focused and motivated to get a good time, but then at the 15 mile point she got cramp in her left calf and then in her right.  She couldn’t stretch it out; the minute she stopped running the muscles just went into a spasm so she continued to run, all be it at a slower pace and went on to complete the marathon.  Her legs were a mess after the run but she completed it in 3 hours 40 minutes.

Helen added “I’ve now got unfinished business with the marathon so I’m going to go back and do it again next year but hopefully this time I won’t experience the cramps”

Janice Forbes, Community Fundraiser at the Hospice said, “This was an amazing achievement for Helen in such an uncomfortable condition.  On behalf of the staff and patients of Hartlepool & District Hospice, I would like to say congratulations and well done for completing the marathon and raising over £1,300 for the specialist palliative care services we provide to local people.  This is a wonderful tribute to Veronica and Liz who I am sure would be extremely proud of Helen.”

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Hartlepool Hospice Ltd (known locally as Alice House Hospice and formerly Hartlepool & District Hospice)
Registered office: Alice House, Wells Avenue, Hartlepool, TS24 9DA.