PB for Ray in Great North Run challenge
GREAT EFFORT: Peel Town Commissioner Ray Harmer completed the Great North Run in a time of 1h 42m 11s, to raise funds of Cancer Research UK
PEEL TOWN Commissioner Ray Harmer put on his running shoes to complete the Great North Run.
Mr Harmer took part to raise money for Cancer Research UK, after his father and sister suffered from cancer.
He set himself a £400 target for the charity, which he has now reached.
The Great North Run is, is a half marathon, at 13.1 miles.
Thousands of people took part to raise money for a good cause at the event, which follows a route from Newcastle to South Shields.
Ray finished in a respectable time of 1 hour 42 minutes 11 seconds, which was his personal best and well inside his target of finishing in two hours
‘I never thought I would make that time,’ he said.
The dad-of-one has come a long way in 12 months.
Only a year ago Ray stated that he ‘couldn’t hold his own weight’ and decided to do something about it.
After a chat with his friend Simon Hill-Anderson, they joined forces and went out running once a week.
Their hard work paid off and Ray and Simon signed up to take part in the race.
‘It was my new year resolution,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t run much more than a mile a year ago. I started going out once a week and then before the race I was running three or four times a week. It was great having somebody to go out with.’
Earlier this year he took part in the Sports Relief run, but was outrun by his son, Nathan.
His proud wife Adele and Nathan watched the TV closely to see if they could catch a glimpse of Ray.
Before the race the large TV screens were showing interviews of why people were taking part in the race, which Ray said was very moving.
‘The whole thing was inspirational,’ he said. ‘Every single person was raising money for a charity. The way it was organised was so good, the atmosphere was amazing.’
Ray chose the charity ‘because they do great work and save lives’.
Talking about running for a charity close to his heart, he said: ‘It means everything really. My dad passed away when he was not much older than me and my young sister had cancer as well. It is a big thing for me, it is quite emotional.’
Ray is really grateful to everyone who has sponsored him. Talking about people’s generosity, he said: ‘It is amazing, I have had some really amazing sponsors, it is always difficult to ask for sponsors, you think gosh I’m asking people again.’
The race went well and the commissioner was surprised that it went so quick. He was delighted that his hero Mo Farrah was there to support the event.
‘It was great fun, the amount of people there was amazing,’ he said. ‘It was so busy that all the time I was running I had to find a path I could go through, whilst trying to avoid the used bottles being thrown. Children were wanting high fives and people were giving out jelly babies – it was wonderful. The race was great and went very well.’
After the run Ray stated that his thighs were really tough and he was a bit sore the day after, but he was delighted to have reached a personal best. He now hopes to get a place in the London Marathon 2013 and would also consider taking part in the Great North Run again.
If you would like donate money to Cancer Research UK by sponsoring Ray for his efforts in the Great North Run, you can do so by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/Ray-Harmer2.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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