Team Costain Gears Up For Marathon
21 April 2010
Among the thousands of contestants setting off on the London
Marathon will be 10 Costain staff, all running to raise money
for their good causes.
"I never intended to be a runner," says Sarah Richardson.
That's odd, as she will be lining up at the start of the 2010
London Marathon this coming weekend.
"A few years ago I got roped in for a few 5km runs, then the
Cardiff half-marathon last October. It's just turned out like
that," she laments.
Ensuring the Cardiff-based Assistant Estimator keeps going over
the 26 mile and 385 yard course will be sister Kirsty, who won a
place in the ballot that allocates places for the heavily
over-subscribed event. "She's a personal trainer, so she'll be
dragging me along," says Sarah.
Sponsored car washes and other activities have so far raised at
least £1,000 for her charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The
hardest bit about long-distance running? "Switching your mind off,"
she says.
www.cftrust.org.uk
Keeping Paul Clough motivated during the race will be thoughts
of the pint of Guinness he intends having at the finish line,
having not sunk one now for three months.
The Shoreworks Agent, from the Felixstowe Docks project, will
also be looking forward to a well-earned meal once his heart rate
has slowed down after pounding the London streets: "My thoughts
quite often turn to food whilst running. It is amazing how hungry
you get whilst burning off all those calories during that length of
run," he says.
Training has been going well, but getting up at 5am to train has
been a trial, he admits.
Although sporty - "I've been playing competitive squash since I
was eight years old and generally just keeping fit through that and
football" - this will be Paul's first marathon. He is targeting
under 4hrs as a time and £2,500 for his charity, The Lighthouse
Club. This helps to relieve poverty suffered as a result of
accident or disability or ill-health by persons employed or
formerly employed within the building and civil engineering
industries and allied trades in the United Kingdom including the
widows and children of such people.
www.lighthouseclub.org/marathon/
Also running to benefit The Lighthouse Club is Tracey Wood, the
Group's Human Resources and Legal Director.
http://www.justgiving.com/Tracey-Wood
Bernice Cowton has the distinction of having represented the UK
155 times in water polo, but has found training for the marathon
harder than anything she remembers from her international sporting
days.
"I've always been a water sports person and I find it really
quite harsh on the body," she says. "I retired a couple of years
ago from international water polo and thought: 'I need to have
another aim,'" says the Commercial Manager on Bradford's Building
Schools for the Future project.
Having said that, she only really started training for the race
at the start of the year, is now panicking after taking two weeks
off to ski and has another worry: "I'm only around 5 feet tall, so
I need to take twice as many paces as anyone else!"
Despite that handicap, she is targeting a 4h finish and is
running for canine charities the British and North of England
Dalmatian Welfare. "I own two Dalmatians myself and volunteer a bit
of time assisting these small charities with their work."
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/supportthespotties
Another worryingly fit staff member is Hayley Gamble. An
experienced triathlete, she has done several half-marathons in
recent years, but thought she had three more years to work up to
the full 26-mile standard.
"It usually takes four years to get in," she says referring to
the ballot needed to pare down the numbers who apply to compete in
the event. She got in first time.
She has been in serious training since December and is looking
for a 4h finish. "I've been averaging 120 miles a month in
training. I had to take a week off after pulling a muscle in my
foot but apart from that, it's gone fine."
Site colleagues and subcontractors at Newbury Parkway, where
she's a Graduate QS "have been absolutely brilliant" in sponsoring
her and she is already almost £1,900 to the good for her charity,
Children With Leukaemia.
www.bmycharity.com/hayleygamble
This will be the third London Marathon for Andrew Leonard, who
reckons he'll be lucky to replicate his 4h 30m times for his
previous attempts.
A recreational runner, the harsh winter and a couple of injuries
have made it a hard training season: "It's been a bit of a struggle
this time, but I'm getting there".
Based at Canary Wharf as Senior Planning Manager on Crossrail
tenders, his running strategy is 'Put the head down' and keep
going. "On the day the support is fantastic and really helps to get
you to the finish." He's running for muscular dystrophy charity
Action Duchenne and has already raised just over £4,000 thanks to
the very generous support of friends and work colleagues.
www.actionduchenne.org/stopwasting/AndyLeoLondon2010
Kevin Cousins, a Senior Engineer working on the Crossrail Royal
Oak Portal project, is raising money for Whizz Kidz, a charity
focused on giving disabled children the chance to lead a more
independent life.
www.justgiving.com/KEVIN-COUSINS
Meanwhile, a trio from Maidenhead - Group Strategy and Business
Development Director Stephen Wells, Communications Director Graham
Read and PA to the Finance Director and Communications
Director Caroline Harris - are all running for WellChild.
www.justgiving.com/TheCostainGroup