Well Done, Graeme Meldrum!
Club 1883 member and Rovers supporter Graeme Meldrum recently ran the Kirkcaldy Half Marathon.
Graeme wrote the following piece on his run:
If it’s not bad enough having to travel from Ayrshire to Kirkcaldy at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, imagine how I felt bumping into and being pestered by the Provost of Fife for a photo. Not the pre run routine I had planned in my head, but hey ho sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
So why was I undertaking such nonsense?
Well last year I put on my big boy pants and set about exorcizing the ghosts of Viewforth High Schol Cross Country runs of the distant past, as I took on the Kirkcaldy Half Marathon for the first time. Who knew Oriel Road was so steep, and who thought it was a great idea that after running 9 miles, you’d then be asked to summon up your inner Edmond Hillary and get yourself up Hot Pot Wynd in Dysart ?
So on Sunday 25th at 10:00 I was primed and ready to go again, this time with a difference. I’d decided to run the event as a fundraiser for the Raith Rovers Community Foundation – The Community Belong Campaign, which aims to address the financial challenges faced by vulnerable families by providing them with free access to Raith Rovers FC matches. Without belittling any charity, if ever a fundraiser had my name on it, it was this one.
So discussion were had with Rovers Down South who manage the campaign back in May, and we decided that I would just piggyback their existing ‘Just Giving’ page https://justgiving.com/campaign/thecommunitybelong I’m a great believer in minimum effort for maximum reward.
The fundraiser was announced on both my own, the Rovers Down South and the Oh No No No Podcast social media channels, with regular updates of me crawling my way along Prestwick shore, as the training stepped up.
As the training was cranked up so did the amount of money dropping into the fund raiser, which now sits at almost £2,000.
The day itself was almost perfect for running, the headwind along the shore wasn’t great but at least the rain stayed off and allowed for the crowds of well wishers to get out and about. Oriel Road was worse than I remembered and this year I managed to run half way up Hot Pot Wynd. However the highlight has to be the reception you get on the last 100 yards or so as you enter the Beveridge Park and head for the finish line.
The event remains one of my favourite Half Marathons, better than Glasgow, and if it was warmer, it might top Barcelona. However, huge credit for the event must go to the amazing volunteers that have put together yet another great event, the people of Kirkcaldy who come out in their numbers to cheer and clap you round the town, as well as the numerous offerings of Haribo and Jelly Babies.
The ‘Just Giving’ page, is permanently open, so if you want to contribute please feel free to do so at any time, it isn’t just for encouraging idiots like me to do things they really are too old for.
So if you fancy it next year, (there is plenty of time to get race ready) let me know and it could be a squad of us going round raising money for the Community Foundation.
I’ll hopefully see you there next year, and we can get a far better looking photo than the one of me and the Provost.
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