IT was a day so hot that the roads started to melt…but that didn’t stop Chris & Jeannie Taylor from competing in the toughest challenge of their lives and raising an incredible £5,000 for St Luke’s.
The Wall is the fiendishly tough run that follows the 69 mile route of legendary Roman ruin Hadrian’s Wall all the way through to Quayside in Newcastle.
The London based couple managed to complete the ordeal in just over 16 hours, knowing that every mile completed meant more money for our patient care.
“The purpose of this challenge was to raise money for St Luke’s, to show our support and appreciation for the care that the hospice team provided for my father Peter Taylor when he was a patient,” said Jeannie.
“During his time at St Luke’s he was provided with an outstanding level of care that enabled us to share some lovely moments, which we will cherish forever.
“We knew that 69 miles was a long way but with beautiful countryside, good company, fabulous weather and knowing that we had the support of so many people behind us - how could we fail to smash it!”
What the couple had not anticipated was that the heat would be so intense that in places it would actually start to melt the road surface.
“In training we hadn’t covered more than 32 miles in one go, so we were unsure how our bodies would react in the later stages of the race but they held up well,” Jeannie explained.
“It got tough as we passed through 50 miles but keeping our heads down and counting down the miles we got through it.
“Our performance exceeded our expectations, we crossed the finishing line in 122nd and 123rd place, the third mixed team and the first in our age category – I was the ninth female and Chris the 36th male in our respective age categories.
“And due to the amazing generosity of our friends, family and colleagues we have raised almost £5,000 so far, which is incredible!”
Our fundraising assistant Lydia Porter commented: “This was a truly phenomenal fundraiser and we cannot thank Jeannie and Chris enough for their extraordinary achievement.
“Raising so much money in just one great event really will make an enormous difference to the lives of our patients and their families.”