Articles

South Leeds Lakers Invade York

Amanda Binns

On Sunday 9th October 2016 a posse of runners from South Leeds Lakers headed north to conquer the Yorkshire 10 mile and Yorkshire Marathon. As well as the runners, there were plenty of supporters armed with posters, cameras and voices.

 

go-south-leeds-lakers

 

A marathon is a massive commitment requiring months of training and a strict regime. Two lovely ladies from South Leeds embarked on this journey to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer Research. I first met Betty and Liz at the South Leeds Sisters running club in September 2013 and they have both been a massive support to me ever since.

 

The two have spent month’s together training and fundraising, sacrificing social lives for long runs and early nights. They worked tirelessly to raise funds for the charity, arranging events and attending events with collection buckets – combined they have raised £1212 to date.    

 

Then, disaster struck! Liz had an accident on her pushbike and sustained a serious knee injury. With only a week until the big day, it was obvious that she would not be able to run.

 

A call to arms was made on the South Leeds Laker’s Facebook page and there was no shortage of volunteers to take turns to push her around in a wheelchair. However, after some thought and the realisation that she would have to have her leg straight out for the entire 26.2 miles, it was decided that a substitute would be better.

 

Enter our very own knight in shining Lycra, Steve Woods. Steve is a very experienced runner and also a qualified Leader in Running Fitness. He is a great support to all runners who have had the good fortune to meet him.

 

He ran the race with no specific training and also wore the outfit intended for Liz – we all agree he looks very pretty in a tutu. They crossed the line together in a very respectable 4:58:16, although in my opinion, anyone who completes a marathon deserves respect regardless of the finishing time.

 

liz-betty

 

Liz’s dedication also shone through, she sat at the finish line in her wheelchair for an epic 5 hours waiting for her running buddy to cross the line. I’m sure there were more than a few tears, I know I shed one or two reading about it and looking at the pictures!

 

Betty commented:

 

Thank you for all your kind words, and a massive thank you to Steve I could not have done it without him, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done – never again – but the support was fantastic

 

The Lakers and Sisters are very proud of both of them, and they have inspired a few members to enter next years Yorkshire Marathon, including me!