Malpas friends raise more than £9,000 for Kidney Research UK at New York Marathon

Nov 20 2008 by Gill Broad, Whitchurch Herald

A QUARTET of current and former Whitchurch Rugby Club members tackled the tough streets of the Big Apple in the New York City Marathon.

The four pals, all from the Malpas area, were Robin Blackham, 47, Ian Dutton, 37, Christopher (Kit) Ebben, 37, and 41-year-old Craig Smith.

They all completed the gruelling 26.2 mile course and have raised more than £9,000 for Kidney Research UK.

Running for the cause was the idea of Craig, whose father-in-law Ron Humphreys from Shrewsbury received a life-saving kidney transplant from his sister last December.

Craig said: “He’s now really fit and well and able to enjoy a better quality of life.

“I saw first-hand the impact this had on the family and when Ian and I decided we were up for a challenge, it seemed the obvious cause to run for. Then Robin and Kit came on board too.

“We all had different levels of fitness and the other three finished in just over four hours while I finished in just over five hours.

“It was an awesome experience which will live with us forever. It was very tough. New York has lots of concrete carriageways which are more unforgiving than the tarmac we had trained on.

“Being rugby players, there is usually a huge amount of ribbing going on, and we expected this after the race, but instead there was a quiet air of mutual appreciation for having got through it, which was quite different for us!”

The foursome arrived in New York as its Hallowe’en celebrations kicked off, and at the height of election fever.

“It was amazing to be there as the first results were coming through.

“There was fanatical support for Obama in New York and it was great to be a part of it all,” added Craig.

To see more about their adventure and the fundraising total, log onto www.justgiving.com/craigdsmith.

The race, on November 2, was won once again by Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe.

The course takes in five bridges, five boroughs and the finish line is in Central Park.

It draws more than 100,000 applicants including world class athletes, and offers $600,000 prize money.

The event was watched by two million spectators and a worldwide TV audience of 315m.