With the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme approaching at the same time as a trip planned by my running club to the Night of Flanders Marathon, it seemed like a fitting time to do something in honour of our service men and women, past and present. After a bit of thought, I came up with the idea of setting out from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire (which is just a few miles from home) and running all the way to Flanders to take part in the marathon. For some reason it just felt right to take it on as a challenge; and in doing so raise funds for the Royal British Legion, which was a big part of my late father’s life for many years.
So, on at 09:30 on Thursday 9th June I will set off from the Aboretum and attempt to run to the town of Torhout in Belgium, arriving in time to take part in the marathon on the evening of 17th June. My route will include a lot of canal towpath and most of the North Downs Way down to Dover. I will then cheat a bit by catching the ferry to Calais (yeah, I know what a wimp!) before continuing across northern France into Belgium.
If I’m successful, when I cross the finish line of the marathon I will have covered just over 500km (315 miles) in 9 days – an average of 35 miles per day and the equivalent of 12 marathons. I will then cheat some more by catching the bus back to Derby with my club mates.
If you’re interested, you can track my progress live via the following link: http://racedrone.net/event/andy-brooks
I’m not looking for any financial support to do this as it’s self funded. However, any donations to the Royal British Legion, who do fantastic work supporting service personnel past and present, would be very much appreciated. They can be made via: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=BrooksiesRunToFlanders&faId=718150&isTeam=false
I really appreciate any support and thanks again for any donations.
Brooksie
brooksieruns 