Marathon case for
law firm
 That’s four relay teams of five people, plus three hardy souls planning to run the full circuit solo, in aid of the staff’s nominated charity, our CHAS appeal.
For these folk, the festive season has been a case of eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we diet — and then start some serious training for the event on June 12.
Survivor
While most have previously participated in little more than fun runs or an occasional 10K event, the exception is solo runner Murray Horne. A survivor of no less than 11 marathons since 1995, his best time to date is 4 hr 3 min in London in 1996.
The highlight of his running career so far was the New York marathon, where two million people turned out to line the route.
Murray reckons his efforts have raised more than £15,000 for various charities.
“I’ve learned a lot in the marathons I’ve done, so there are a few things to share with the others,” he says.
“For example, there’s a thing called a 1000-mile sock. It has two layers, one which moulds to the foot and one which moulds to the shoe. That’ll save your feet a bit.
“There’s another tip I got from an Army guy, which I won’t go into detail about. Suffice to say it involves rubbing your feet with a body fluid most people would prefer not to think about. But it gives your feet a really hard layer on the soles — so I was told.”
Fellow full marathon runners Stuart Neilson and Emma Purdie (both 24) are clearly relishing the prospect of the run.
“I play football and keep active, but I’d never have thought of running in the marathon if the e-mail telling us about it hadn’t come around,” admits Stuart. Emma says the longest distance she’s done to date was the 10K Capital City Challenge in September.
No novices
Although it’s the first time Turcan Connell have entered a team, they’re no novices when it comes to raising money for CHAS. Last Christmas they held a 70s-themed fancy dress party and raffle, which raised £750.
n For anyone else interested in running the marathon on behalf of CHAS, the organisation still has some guaranteed starting places available.
Those signing up under the Charity Assured Places scheme need to raise a minimum of £500 in sponsorship but receive a T-shirt, training tips, food, drink and a massage at the finish line.
Interested parties should ring Kerry Jackson on 0131 444 1515, e-mail
kerry@chas.org.uk
or log on to www.edinburgh-marathon.co.uk
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Some of the Turcan Connell team, from left, Kwan-Nga-Weung, Maggie Campbell, Stuart Neilson and Murray Horne, with Emma Purdie on the starting blocks in front.
