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Dylan's Path to Walk

  • Painful but rewarding!!

      25 November 2015
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    Well I achieved my ultimate goal of running a marathon to help raise money for Dylan. On Saturday 21 November 2015 I completed the International Queenstown Marathon.

    Although delighted to break the 3hr 30min milestone, I was disappointed I didn't do better. I believe the training I had completed the previous 4 months should have been enough to allow me to crack the 3 hr 20min mark. However I ran a very poor race strategically and rather than running across the finishing line with a spring in my step, I crossed the line in severe pain with my feet barely coming off the ground!

    Although immediately after the race I uttered the words "never again" to my wife and kids, I have now started to think about my next marathon and in particularly cracking the 3hr 20min.

    I finished up 100th out of 1604 so I am very pleased with that but what has given me the most satisfaction is knowing I have raised $3000 towards my cousins operation and continual care.

    This being my last post, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your kind donation, it just goes to prove what a great country i live in and how lucky I was to meet a girl from NZ.

    Slan leat agus gurbh maith agat.

    Click on gallery to view more photos of the race.

    https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/dylanspathtowalk/gallery

    Frank

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  • Dylan's First Milestone Reached!!!

      16 November 2015
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    If you are reading this update, it means you most probably made a donation to Dylan's cause. If that is the case, can I take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of Dylan and his family. It is very much appreciated.

    The fundraising committee have been working tirelessly in Ireland and other parts of the world over the past 6 months raising money and it was confirmed a couple of weeks ago that they reached their target of 80,000 Euro to get Dylan enrolled for his operation in America.

    The news kept getting better for the family when last week Dylan's operation date was confirmed for the new year.

    This is a fantastic achievement and everything we raise from this point on will be needed for the lifetime of care Dylan will require.

    Thanks for your support.

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  • Southland Half Marathon

      27 October 2015
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    Sunday 18 October 2015. Wet and windy is probably how I would describe this race. Thankfully we had a tail wind for the first 11 km but then were faced with a gale force wind hitting the side of our face for the next 9 km! The last km was a tail wind once again.

    Almost avoided the torrential rain but with about 5 km to go the heavens opened. It was challenging. With visibility down to about 0 m and the wind causing the rain to bounce off my face, I was a happy man reaching the finish line.

    Looking forward to the sunshine up in Queenstown on November 21st!!

    I managed to get a custom made running singlet for race day with a picture of Dylan on the front. Thanks to Selector Uniforms for not only printing the singlet but also making a donation to the cause. Much appreciated.

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  • St Paul Off-Road Half Marathon (Sandy Point)

      27 October 2015
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    4 October 2015. Another race completed in preparation for the Queenstown International Marathon in November. Really enjoyed this run. The first 7 km were challenging along Oreti beach with the tide still relatively high. This led led to a pair of soggy shoes and running up on the sand dunes every so often!

    Nice run through native bush followed the beach which was good because it sheltered us from the high winds.

    Finished to the news that Aussie beat the English at Rugby World Cup so it was a morning full of positive results.......

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  • 1st Half Marathon Complete

      22 September 2015
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    Another milestone complete. My first of 2 half marathon's is now complete in preparation for the full Marathon in November. It was a great day in Dunedin and thankfully the wind was at our backs for the run out to Port Chalmers. The few hills at the end were tough but really pleased with how I felt for 80% of the run. Work to do over the next 3 weeks to prepare for my next half marathon which is the Southland Half. Until next time.

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  • Otago Half Marathon

      8 September 2015
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    As part of my preparation for running the Queenstown Marathon in November I am going to Run the Otago (Dunedin) half marathon this Sunday 13th September. It consists of 11km within the Dunedin CBD before heading out to Port Charmers where the finish line is. It will be a good gauge for the progress I have made over the past 5 or 6 weeks. Will update you next week.

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  • Injury free again

      24 August 2015
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    Hi all, I am back training again after sustaining a rib injury in a football game on 25 July. I lost 3 weeks of training which was a setback but I clocked another 50km on my first week back this week. A couple of big days, one which included to climbs of Bluff Hill!

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  • Training

      13 July 2015
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    I have started training with a 13.5km run on Friday 10th followed by 2 separate runs at Surrey Park athletics track. Lance Smith giving feedback on mechanics and pace.

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