Jul 25 - KPMG Gibraltar Team Raise More Than £3,000 For Cancer Relief In Midnight Sun Marathon
Five hardy members of the KPMG Gibraltar audit team swapped the Med for the land of the Midnight Sun recently when they took part in one of the most unusual marathons in the world to raise money for Cancer Relief Gibraltar.
The Midnight Sun Marathon takes place in Tromsø, Norway, and is so named because of Tromsø’s northerly position high on the edge of the Arctic Circle which brings 24 hours of daylight in the summer. On the day of the race, the sun never sets.
Despite the 24-hour sunshine, the average temperature barely reaches double figures and feels considerably less with wind-chill. This year the event attracted 968 competitors from 77 different countries.
Antonia Gilpin, Adam Liptak, Ben Sharples, Kevin Carr and Robert Goode made up the team from KPMG. It was the first marathon for all of them apart from Ben, who had previously competed in the London Marathon, and they spent three months preparing, running approximately 800 miles between them in training.
Amazingly both Adam and Kevin ran an incredible sub-4 hour race time with Antonia completing the course in under five hours. Rob ran a half-marathon in an impressive two and a half hours. Unfortunately Ben had to drop out of the race at 18 miles due to cold weather complications but received an exclusive tour of Tromsø’s University Hospital instead!
Between them the team raised £3,182, a sum far in excess of their £2,500 target. The amount was boosted by a number of fundraising efforts which included bake sales and a marathon sweepstake as well as sponsorship from friends, family and clients.
The team commented: “After months of anticipation, the feeling of crossing the finish line is one of the most rewarding experiences possible. We trained hard in preparation for the marathon and supported each other through those tough training runs – especially the long Sunday runs of three hours plus in upward of 20oC degrees heat.
“Having turned up to an arctic summer marathon with no thermals and a head torch (it doesn’t get dark!), we were naive first timers but return to Gibraltar with medals and pride in the fact that we were able to raise so much for Cancer Relief Gibraltar. A big thank you to everyone who donated – you made the miles worth it!"
Jon Tricker, Managing Director KPMG Gibraltar, said “We are enormously proud of the Midnight Sun Marathon team. They showed great determination throughout their rigorous training regime and completed the marathon in difficult conditions.
“As a local business, supporting our community is very important to us as and I am delighted, and often amazed, at the outstanding efforts our colleagues go to in support of good causes.”
Cancer Relief Gibraltar is KPMG Gibraltar’s nominated charity and the organisation currently supports around 70 families in Gibraltar who are affected by cancer.
Rowena Wallace, administrator for Cancer Relief Gibraltar, added: “The Cancer Relief Centre is hugely grateful to Kevin, Adam, Antonia, Rob and Ben. In 2016, we have already had almost 100 new referrals so the money they have raised will be put to very good use in providing a variety of services to those affected by cancer. These include support days, nurse-led clinics, equipment loans, aromatherapy, hair, scalp and wig care, pampering, financial assistance, services such as physiotherapy, chiropody and diet advice, Hospice at Home care, including end of life care at home and counselling.
“Above all we are available for anyone who has a question, concern or simply needs to talk and we are indebted to the team at KPMG for helping to fund these services as well as spreading the word to those who may not yet have heard of us and how we can help.”
For more information about Cancer Relief Gibraltar and the work they do, visit http://www.cancerrelief.gi/ or call 350 200 42392.
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