The New York Marathon 2008 - the runners thoughts after winning a place

Opus Energy have, for the second year running, offered its employees the opportunity to challenge themselves both physically and mentally by offering three places to run the New York Marathon. The lucky employees to win the places were:

• Dave Soper, Senior Analyst
• Gary Burrows, Corporate Accounts Back Office Team Leader
• Kerry Poulter, Marketing Specialist

The New York Marathon is one of the most exciting road races takes runners through the streets of New York's five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. The course united dozens of culturally and ethnically diverse neighbourhoods, passing over five bridges, and finishing up at Tavern on the Green in world-famous Central Park

The runners, two first time marathon runners (Dave and Kerry) and Gary who has previously completed the London marathon in 1997, in exchange for an all expenses paid entry into the marathon each are committed to raising £1,500 for the NSPCC. So far each participant is well on their way to achieving their targets, but if you would like to sponsor any of them, click on their names to be linked to their Justgiving sites. Here are the participant’s thoughts on their entry:

Dave Soper

"I’ve wanted to run a marathon for a few years now so having the opportunity to run the biggest marathon in the world while raising money fro the NSPCC was going to be a great place to start. My running career to date has consisted of a couple of fun runs when I was about 11 (no more than 3 miles) and the occasional drunken run home from the pub when you think you can run forever! Therefore if I were to stand any chance of me running 26.2 miles in a reasonable it was going to require a lot of training.

"Training started around June when I quickly found out the trainers I had were next to useless for running in (well that’s what I was hoping as my feet were really hurting after only a couple of miles!) so having bought myself a decent pair of running shoes training could start with no excuses. Since then I’ve build the distance to around 10 miles with short runs during the week and the long run at the weekend with the plan to run around 20 miles early October by adding a couple of extra miles each week. Touch wood there have been no injuries so far and hopefully this continues as any injury now would really upset the training plan.

"It will certainly be the biggest physical challenge I have ever attempted but hopefully all the training I do along with the motivation from people that have sponsored me we help me complete the course!"

Gary Burrows

"I feel extremely honoured to be given the chance by Opus to run in one of the greatest marathons in the world & in doing so raising money for a very worthwhile cause. I like to push myself both physically & mentally in all sporting activities that I undertake & I know this will be no exception!

"Everything I have done for the past few months & will do in the next couple of months is focused on 2nd November 2008, marathon day! I have been keeping to a training plan whereby I will gradually increase my long runs up to a length of 20 miles (I have even put together a mini training schedule whilst I’m on holiday visiting Mr M Mouse in Florida!). I’m also having regular Sports Massages (the most painful experience I have ever gone through in my life!!) to keep my legs & muscles in tip top(ish) condition, starting to increase my pasta intake & reading up all on the pitfalls that can befall a long distance runner, & there are many.

"I am hoping that come marathon day I will be as prepared as I can be so that I can do myself, my family, Opus, my sponsors & the NSPCC proud, but however hard I have tried, for some reason the one thing I can not do is drink and run at the same time, I just drench myself in water!"

Kerry Poulter

"Having never before embarked on a sponsored event more challenging than a 15k walk prior to the marathon, I was a little blinkered or maybe naïve would be a better way of putting it about what this would all entail: the challenge of pushing ones self harder than my usual 5 times a week, 1 hour training sessions, eating the right things: gone are salads and in their place have appeared the pasta/rice/ high protein meals, raising sponsorship……. I really am eating, sleeping, dreaming the marathon…..apparently I am becoming a marathon bore (so my husband tells me) but I am loving every minute. As well as the learning about myself, my levels of determination, comfort zones and where they stop…which is weeks ago in terms of training!! I am experiencing the generosity/kindness of people both in terms of sponsorship and support and it really is touching and humbling.

"I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to run the New York Marathon and am completely dedicated to my training and other than a slight hitch in the early stages of my training with a tight gluteus minimus (in other words I have a tight arse!) which caused a small tear in my left calf my runs are progressing steadily. I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge and even enjoying dragging myself outside whether it is raining, sunny or windy. Although I have learnt that it isn’t good to wear non-waterproof mascara when running in the rain as people look at you strangely and you only discover that it is due to the fact that you look like a panda when you get home!"

Keep coming back to find out the team’s progress and how much is being raised….

Back to Opus Energy Charity Challenge Page