But jolk I did, all the way to the finish line. A little sore, completely drenched, but with a wonderful sense of achievement. The marathon route was a sea of charity t-shirts. Every lady wore her heart on her chest, back, sleeve and ass. You name it; it was emblazoned with a charities name or a loved ones photo. It was a little emotional at times to pass someone with a photo of the loved one no longer with them printed on their attire. More than that though it was wonderful to see such joy and enthusiasm at the opportunity to do something positive from something devastating. I didn't just jolk 10k on Monday, I became part of a wonderful sisterhood of inspiring and wonderful ladies, all laughing into the face of negative experiences and raising money in the hopes of saving others from them in the future.
I jolked in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation as did many others on the day, and there were far too many charities represented on the day for me to even begin to mention all of them here. If you participated on the day congratulations, you have made a difference to someone else's life. If you sponsored a mini marathoner, thank you, you have made a difference to someone else's life. If you stood along the course route and filled paper cups with water, stood near a barrier to ensure no one went the wrong way, were on stand by to give first aid, clapped as weary people walked or jogged by, thank you, you have made a difference to someone else's life. If you were one of the firemen who stood outside Donnybrook fire station with a rather large hose and soaked me, thank you, you made my day.
Here's my medal and race number, just in case there are any doubters out there.
Also, a big thank you to my gorgeous husband, my dad, my two sisters, their hubands and their children, all of who stood in the rain until well and truly soaked to give me a big cheer as I whizzed (I did, honest) past them just before the finish line. Mwah!
