On Sunday 16th October 2011 Catrin Hawthorn and Lynda Doherty took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon and have raised £180.00 from the run.

“Well we did it!

It was a lovely day for a run just maybe not a race. There was a nice breeze that occasionally helped as a tail wind but also hindered at the 8.5 mile point. This is where Lyn and I parted company not to be reunited till the finish line but make it we did.

The support we have had from family and friends colleagues and patients has been quite touching and to be honest that’s what kept us going over the final very long three miles. Cardiff 1/2 marathon is a wonderful event and this year with 15000 applicants it surpassed itself with organisation as well as fun.

Family members lined specific parts of the route to cheer us on when we were flagging, but to be honest the passers by (we run through the city centre) cheering, handing out sweets or passing water were fantastic. It seemed that the whole of Cardiff was out there to support us, even the supporters for other charities cheered at anyone who was flagging and slowing down.

As they say a picture tells a thousand stories I have included a happy one of the two of us at the three mile mark, but have decided against using the one of us in pain at the end (vanity I‘m afraid!) – you know it was difficult when you can’t even lift your leg to stretch at the end.

Happily for us the aching has faded quicker than the buzz of achievement. On Monday we swore that we had retired from running a distance like that…. Then I had a text from Lyn and today we are reviewing the application form for next year 🙂 what have we started!”

Catrin Hawthorn

You can still donate to Catrin and Lynda’s run by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/lynandcat-cardiff.half