Reading Half Marathon
The Reading Half Marathon is one of
the biggest sporting events in the country – where better to do a bit of
training and fundraising!?
In 2007 Mike finished as the first
fancy dress runner in a little over 1hr 30 with Rich and good friend Philip
Byrne. He was greeted by BCC Radio and a reporter from the Reading Gazette.
The Gazette were good enough to quote the him word for word – “it was really
really good, the crowd were really really supportive” said Woolliscroft
(obviously the team’s word smith!). With great media contacts established for
the March 2008 event the Lost Penguins were able to organise an article in the
pre race Gazette that introduced the team, WaterAid, the fact that they would be
running in costume carrying collection buckets and telling people to off load
their small change to add to their training. After the first couple of miles it
was evident that the Reading Gazette is reasonably well read paper – they’d
probably raised £60 in coppers. Whole jam jars of coppers were being tipped
into the buckets. Thankfully for the Penguin’s arms and shoulders (already sore
from shot gun training the day before) after the first five miles the number of
on looking Gazette readers seemed to decrease. They were still collecting but
the average donation increased to more than 2p per coin.
At mile 11 the Penguins were caught
by the WaterAid Camel, WaterAid Toilet and friends (who had cleverly swapped
their buckets with friends at the halfway point). Despite the marketing value
for WaterAid that a penguin riding a camel into the Majaski Stadium would bring
the rear of the camel declined and bolted – at least somebody thinks the weight
gaining has been working!
Lost Penguins were joined in Reading
by Rich’s girlfriend Rebbeca Hoy for her first half marathon - if you can’t beat
them join them, and she did for the whole run despite the incessant shaking of
buckets and shouts for Pingu, penguins, birds and ducks. Cunning Bex saved her
sprint to the line until the Penguins were distracted by the crowds in the
stadium, beating the Penguins by just a second as measured by champion chips
(although a photo finish may prove that the Penguins won by a beak)
All counted (about 15kgs of lucozade
splashed small change and one decomposing fiver) the generous people of
