2007 Experian Robin Hood Marathon and Half Marathon, Nottingham, Sunday 16th September 2007

 
We had a team of marathon and half-marathon runners and marshals at this event. This year renamed Experian festival of Running. Marshalling these events is great fun. Watch BBC Nottingham interview with organiser Hugh Brasher and see BBC web-site. Starting and finishing at Victoria Embankment, the runners passed many of Nottingham's historical and well known landmarks including Nottingham Castle, Wollaton Hall, and even ran through Nottingham University’s Trent Building! They also took in along the way, Nottingham’s two famous football clubs (Nottingham Forest and Notts County) and Trent Bridge Cricket Ground whilst meandering down the majestic River Trent. Those running the full marathon also took in the National Water Sports Centre and Holme Pierrepont Hall before making their way back to Victoria Embankment. 2007 saw a new and improved latter stage of the marathon course.

Runners included Ian Hind and friend Alex Hardy doing the marathon and friend Ben Jardine doing the half marathon in memory of his step-mother and you can sponsor him at http://www.justgiving.com/rememberjill, Kate Angell and partner Pete Jones ran the half marathon in memory of her father http://www.justgiving.com/kateangell and Richard Bull ran the half marathon in memory of his father Miles http://www.justgiving.com/runformiles . Ian Hind finished the marathon in 4hours 44mins and said it was very tough and his knees were struggling but he was very pleased. You can read his running diary in the days prior to the race on the BBC Nottingham web-site (links top right as those at bottom of page don't work).

Surgeon Ian Beckingham from Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham ran the half marathon after recovering from his injury sustained in training for the London Marathon and you can sponsor him at http://www.justgiving.com/ianbeckingham. After not being able to achieve him aim of a sub 3 hour London marathon in memory of his former patient, a local GP, he set himself a personal target of a personal best in the Nottingham Half Marathon and achieved it in 1 hour 24mins. Ian Beckingham said " Finished at last - its taken a bit longer to get here than I anticipated. After the disapointment of missing the London marathon through injury to my back it took 2 months to get back to running. This would not allow me time to run the full Robin Hood marathon in Nottingham so I decided to try and run a half marathon pb (personal best) in Jim's favourite race. The Robin Hood half marathon was on Sunday 16th September - with 10,000 runners on a sunny day down by the embankment. I achieved a pb of 1:24 to finish 106th (17th in my age group) a result with which I am very pleased. Legs a bit sore today though! Half the raised money will be used by Pancreatic Cancer UK to fund research, and I have given £2000 to Ward E15 at the QMC where Jim was a patient (our pancreatic cancer ward) which we have used to buy 6 special reclining chairs for patients. Thank you all for your generous donations - I will run the London Marathon next year anyway (automatic entry for injury) and am planning another Charity run in 2009 - something a bit longer, hotter and hillier!! "

One of Ian Beckingham's patient's Paul Morris who has had a total pancreatectomy and Leicester nurse Sophie Noble joined Ian Hind's family and friends as marshals.