Marathon Man

In the midst of the RWC fever, Iain was quietly training for the Auckland Marathon. He agreed to do it along with the rest of The Blues management as a fundraiser for Kurtis Haiu, a Blues player who was diagnosed with bone cancer at the start of the 2011 season. Although proud to be taking part for the Haiu Trust, Iain is the first to admit that he's not a runner and he approached the whole thing with as much enthusiasm as a Glaswegian on a train bound for Edinburgh. This was particularly evident from his training regime which largely consisted of getting blitzed at Eden Park on a Saturday night, followed by a 20-30km run on the Tuesday or Wednesday, with a couple of 5-10km trots before the next night out. Yeah, and this guy's a professional fitness coach. 

As Iain got closer to the event, he decided that his run might also be able to raise a few quid for some close-to-our-heart charities in the UK so I set up a couple of "Just Giving" pages. Thanks to all of you who donated to either MacMillan Cancer Support or Kidney Research UK. It means a lot to both of us. (And if you missed those scrounging emails, you can still donate here for Macmillan or here for Kidney Research!)

Race day was soon upon us and Teece and I headed down to the start line in Devonport to see the boys off at 6.15am. There was a real buzz in the air, and it was very exciting to be waving them all off. The route took them over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and headed east along the waterfront to St. Helliers before turning back to the finish at Victoria Park in the city. We managed to catch them at about the half way mark, just in front of the ferry building. Iain was looking pretty fresh at this point and even managed to indulge in some Big Daft Laddie Running as he went past us. 

Waiting at the finish line was an emotional rollercoaster; the joy of people finishing mixed with the disappointment of others who just couldn't go any further and were relying on fellow runners to help carry them over the line. Finally the "Team Malo" boys started arriving around the last bend and I was desperate to see Iain finish. The furthest he'd run in training was about 32km and he just didn't know how his body would cope with the final 10km. (It didn't help matters that he'd put his back out two days previously trying to start the lawnmower). Then, eventually, he came round that last bend, and it was brilliant. We (me, Teece, Ash (he'd finished in 4hours), Ash's parents, and Ash's brother and girlfriend) were all there cheering him on, screaming and clapping and just delighted that he completed it. In the words of Fergie, I was vewy, vewy pwoud. Iain was delighted to finish and although he says that he knows he can get a better time, he'll never, ever, do one again. 

Marathon Champion

Blues Management with Kurtis

And for the competitive readers out there, here are the times:

Ben Meyer	3:31:08	3:30:39	264
Ash Draper	4:01:26	3:59:39	793
Stephen Kara	4:30:23	4:28:35	1359
Pat Lam	4:38:36	4:36:50	1496
Mark Harvey	4:46:00	4:44:12	1609
Craig Lister	4:46:00	4:44:15	1610
Troy Webber	4:49:12	4:47:24	1666
Mark Plummer	5:02:12	5:00:22	1860
Johnny Claxton	5:03:45	5:01:57	1873
James Rigby	5:09:13	5:07:27	1916
Iain Cleland	5:09:14	5:07:26	1917

Well done guys, awesome effort. 
LM.