We wanted to find a way to celebrate the life of our wonderful friend in a remarkable way this year, as 25th May 2014 marked 10 years since we lost our beautiful friend Olivia Chase, aged 15, to long QT syndrome.
We saw that the London 2 Brighton 100km Challenge took place on this very weekend in May, ending in Brighton on the 25th.
This seemed fitting as we all went to school with Olivia in Brighton – and so six of us committed to the challenge: Maddi Cameron, Juliet Browning, Catherine Price, Alexander Maxwell-Scott, Sophie Palmer and Kat Ellinger.
We realised Olivia was behind us right from the start as we came across a small field of poppies – poppies being her favourite flower.
We found poppies so many times along the route it was like she was with us all the way, pushing us to just keep going.
This challenge was a test beyond words – it’s hard to explain the range of highs and lows that we experienced, there were so many points along the route where each one of us could have easily given up.
The incredible bond of our group, constant adrenalin, sheer determination to finish in honour of our friend, as well as the incredible support we received on social media, texts and from passers by, meant that we pushed through an endless multitude of pain barriers to finish walking the 100km in 30 hours.
The organisation of the event and the volunteers on hand couldn’t have been better. From trudging through endless slushy, boggy mud trails in pitch black, to seeing dawn break over Ardingly Reservoir, this was the best and hardest adventure of our lives.
We could not be more proud to say “we completed the 100k!!” and have raised over £5,000 for CRY. Our finish was marked with a beautiful sunny Brighton day where the incredibly loving and supportive Chase family, along with friends and family, patiently waited for us.
We crossed the finish line to huge cheers and lots of champagne which, happily, went straight to our legs! Big love and thanks to absolutely everyone who gave us such precious encouragement and support; and to those poppies for appearing and guiding us along the way.
Maddi Cameron
http://www.justgiving.com/remember/104873/Olivia-Chase