Running together – Melksham family and friends’ charity half marathon

FIVE local runners have raised much-needed funds for different charities by completing the Chippenham Half Marathon. 

The group included a father and his two daughters as well as two family-friends who ran the gruelling 13.1 mile course to raise money for each of their chosen charities.

Finishing the race was a culmination of six months’ hard work and training for the group made up of Chris Fisher, his daughters Tracey Fisher and Cheryl Scott and their friends Angela Norris and Andrew Durrant.

Cheryl raised £300 for the Children with Cancer charity, surpassing her £100 target. She said, “We signed up in March this year after my dad turned 60 and joined the gym. None of us, apart from Angela, could run – let alone run a decent distance – so it was a mad thing to do!

“However I, along with my sister Tracey, fell in love with running. It was hard work and at times we thought ‘are we really going to be able to do the half’, but gradually we built up and our distance increased; we were running up to 12 miles around two weeks before the half marathon.

“It felt amazing to be running with my friends and family. I ran alongside my sister from start to finish as we had no time in mind, but got round in 2 hours 35 minutes. We just wanted to do it and enjoy the experience. The support from friends and family was the best. Through running since March and healthy eating I have lost nearly two stone; it’s a great feeling.

“I took part in the Bath Midnight Walk on Sat 13th September for the first time also, I loved it. I plan on doing some 10k races and we are thinking about the Longleat Half Marathon, but will definitely do Chippenham again.”

Her sister Tracey raised £350 for the Autistic Society and was pleased to get around the course, with plans to attempt another race at some point.

Their father Chris also raised £200 for the Autistic Society. He said, “I had no expectations for time, I just wanted to get round. The whole event is well organised and apart from family and friends cheering you on, the general public and marshals along the way keep you going too. I just feel pleased and proud that I achieved what I did.”

The family completed it with their friends Andy and Angela. She raised £800 for Harry Kirkman with Cerebral Palsy and £400 for Diabetes charity.

Andy raised £367 for Macmillan Cancer Support and he was pleased with his run. He said, “I have never ran anything like this before and it felt fantastic to have completed it. The support from family and friends was overwhelming and really helped to keep you going.

“I ran for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of my nan and other friends/family who have needed their support. I had no target time and managed to do it in 2.5 hours. I would definitely run something like this again. It was great having a lovely group of people to run with too!