Helen writes .............

 

I was lucky to secure a guaranteed place in the New York Marathon and wanted to run on behalf of the Niemann-Pick Disease Group.  My step cousin, Caroline, died of type C at the age of 30 and as I approached that age myself, I wanted to spare a thought for those children who don’t have similar opportunities in life and whose daily lives are affected by illness.

 

With over 40,000 people all trying to make their way to the start line, transport was staggered and we were very fortunate to be given a 4am pick up time!  I met my group of friends in the hotel reception at 3.15am and after only 4hrs sleep, we certainly weren't feeling in tiptop condition. Half asleep, we were dropped off in what seemed like a very large car park and left to freeze for 6 hours. Luckily enough, one of the girls got friendly with a security officer who kindly allowed us to sit in his van to keep warm. Sadly, there was only so long we could take advantage of his kind offer and we soon ventured out for a hearty breakfast of a cold cup of tea and plain bagel. Luckily, I was with an awesome group of friends from my gym so our good spirits and humour managed to see us through.

 

Before the race started, I was looking out for Carl Hitchens who was running on behalf of the Charity for his son Harry who also has type C but with only a vague description from my dad and so many runners, I didn’t stand a chance !

 

When the race finally started, the adrenalin soon kicked in and with an amazing crowd we were soon buzzing with excitement. The local children were keen to give us "high fives" and the crowd shouted my name, printed on my Niemann-Pick T-shirt.

 

Music blasted out of large stereo systems and with live bands around every corner bands and with the occasional NY Fire Fighter to cheer us on, the race flew by.

 

The main challenge I faced was dodging other runners and the occasional uphill climb over the bridges. Despite this, I found that I kept a comfortable pace and completed the race in 3hrs 31 minutes.

 

Completing the New York Marathon was one of my favourite achievements and a truly amazing experience. I managed to raise £1,517 for the Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK) and would like to thank family, friends and all those who sponsored me on justgiving.com for their support and very generous donations - Thank you.