Driveway Marathon for NHS Charities Together
27 April 2020
Written by
Miss Jayne Burton
On Sunday 26th April, the day that would have been the London Marathon, Miss Benjamin walked her own Driveway Marathon; 26.2 miles around her 25m circumference driveway. That’s about 93,000 steps according to the FitBit that she used to track her progress.
Though she gave herself a week to complete the challenge in case of an arthritic flare up, she managed to complete it in just one day.
“I’m very pleased to say that despite giving myself a week to finish, I actually completed the whole marathon in just one day, finishing at 11:57 last night. It took me 13 hours and 57 minutes of almost constant walking, with just a couple of drink and bathroom breaks along the way. I knew that if I ever stopped I wouldn’t be able to get up a to walk again the next day. I’m now going to take the needed time to battle the ensuing arthritic flare-up and recover in style."
Very sadly Miss Benjamin lost a close family member due to complications after getting the Corona Virus whilst already in hospital. Speaking of her grandfather and what inspired her to take on the marathon challenge, she says:
“During the last few years of his life, he raved to me many times about how much the NHS has done to help him. I can think of nothing better than trying to help the frontline workers in return. My New Year’s resolution for this year was to not let my arthritis rule my life. I spent too long last year letting it control me and I’m done with it holding me back. During a bad flare, walking tiny distances is a struggle, but pure stubbornness drives me on. I may be shielding for 12 weeks due to it, but I’m lucky enough to have some outdoor space I can enjoy and I’m going to put it to its best use yet”.
She adds “I’ve been really impressed by the staff efforts to help our community; from keeping the school open as a base for those that need it, to D&T’s achievements with providing PPE to our front-line workers. Although I am currently shielding at home due to my arthritis and medications, I wanted to play my own part in aiding our community.”
The fundraising page is still open for donations. If you would like more details, please reach out to social@chigwell-school.org for the link.
