We are pleased to introduce Gary Skinner who is fundraising for Border Terrier Welfare by running a marathon in memory of his Border Terrier, Elvis who passed away last August. Here we have an update from him as he works through his training plan in preparation for the main event in April.
You may have seen our facebook post earlier this month announcing Gary's support for Border Terrier Welfare, but we'll find out a bit more about one man and his dog, Elvis.
Elvis' story
Elvis came into Gary's family as a puppy but by the age of one, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. He was a plucky character though, having his spleen and gall bladder removed later in life, his fighting spirit carrying him through to the grand age of 15 at the time of his passing. As is the Border Terrier way, whilst small in stature, he was large in character and Gary describes him as still sorely missed.
Elvis as a puppy & taking it easy later in life.
Running man
Gary took up running around 7 years ago when he finished playing football and coaching a local children's side. This will be his 3rd Brighton marathon and 4th in total, so he's had plenty of experience in that time. But that's not to take away from running 26 miles and 385 yards in a road race that is a gruelling feat few of us mere mortals could manage!
Brighton Marathon stats
The Brighton marathon is part of a weekend festival of running events each April with over 18,000 participants taking part across the events, while over 150,000 spectators line the city streets to show their support.
Over 12,000 runners take part in the marathon itself on Sunday 19 April 2020, enjoying a course that starts in Preston Park at 9.45am, snakes its way through the city centre, along the glorious seafront and finishes at the iconic Madeira Drive in front of thousands of cheering spectators. The course bests for the men and women are well under 2:10 and 2:29 respectively, making it the second-fastest marathon in the UK. It is also the second-largest marathon in the UK and eighth-largest in Europe. Since the first Brighton Marathon in 2010, this marathon has grown dramatically to become the Brighton Marathon Weekend with added running events, attracting larger numbers of runners and spectators each year to the city.
Training plan
Gary was in good spirits when we spoke to him about his training, "It's going well, I've just completed week 8 of my 16 week training plan and will have run over 120 miles in February." he says, "Next Sunday I will be running in the Eastbourne half marathon as a training run". We were impressed just thinking of a half marathon and that's not even the main event!
Fundraising Hero
Gary is running to raise funds for Border Terrier Welfare in memory of Elvis and we hope you can support him with a donation to give him a boost in his training. You can do so by visiting his JustGiving page or clicking on the image below.
We're hugely grateful to Gary for taking on this challenge but we think he's been a little shy with his fundraising target of £200, so help prove us right by smashing through this goal with your donations.
And the good news
As if that wasn't enough, we are pleased to say that Gary has a new addition to the household, as Kenny joined the family as a puppy and, at around 7 months now, he's certainly made his typical Border Terrier presence felt. Gary comments "We got Kenny soon after Elvis passed and he has helped to fill the space . . . he's a total rogue, but very loving and funny."
It's always good to see a new Border following in the paw prints of a predecessor, not that they can ever replace as they are each so unique in their own way, but they certainly help to heal a heart that has known loss.
You can follow Kenny's progress on twitter as he is a #BTPosse member with his own twitter account and we'll certainly be keeping our eye on him . . . isn't he gorgeous?!
