PhD student Ryan Geiser (in blue) running through the historic grounds of King's College.
Several keen department members took part in the Cambridge half marathon in October.
Oli Millington, who is working towards his PhD in the Bronstein group, says he started planning for the marathon a year ago, but his training regime was disrupted by injury. He says: “I decided I wanted to do the half marathon back around Christmas last year. Unfortunately, I injured myself running a spontaneous half around town back in January and had to stop training.”
Although he was only able to re-start his training six weeks before the marathon, Oli achieved his original goal of crossing the finish line in under 90 minutes. “I managed to achieve my original goal of sub-90 minutes with a time of 1:29:30 on the day, with the added bonus of no further injuries!”
Welfare Training Advisor Kathleen Pickett also took part, and was thrilled to achieve a personal best. She says: “I found it tough but there was a great amount of support along the way which really spurred me on and helped me get a personal best. I always love running through the colleges; it’s a very unique experience.”
The course goes through the centre of historic Cambridge including parts of King's College and Jesus College. Runners go as far as the Orchard Tea Rooms in Grantchester before heading back up Trumpington Road, past the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Round Church, before finally finishing at Midsummer Common.
Building Services Manager Matt Bushen is a half marathon veteran. In fact, he has run so many that he can’t remember if this was his 10th or 11th! He also had experienced injuries before the race and says: “I didn’t give myself much hope of a good time at the start due to ongoing injuries.” However, he says he felt great at the end, and thought it was especially fun to see Jo Lockhart, Shankar Balasubramanian’s research group administrator, standing on Trumpington Street to cheer the runners on. He was disappointed not to get a personal best, but still managed to enjoy a celebratory ale at the Boathouse, perhaps something of an ‘aprés-run’ tradition.
Ryan Geiser, a PhD student in the Centre for Misfolding Diseases, ran both the London Marathon and the Cambridge Half Marathon, while at the same time raising money in memory of his late supervisor, Professor Sir Chris Dobson. “I raised money for Pancreatic Cancer UK (https://justgiving.com/fundraising/ryangeiser), helping with the research in the disease that took Chris from our Department two years ago,” he says.
Ryan’s first marathon was something of an emotional experience. “As my first marathon, I relied heavily on the incredible support from people worldwide, including those in the Department of Chemistry! With all of the happy memories of Chris and Lorraine (my grandmother who passed away from pancreatic cancer as well) on my mind, I found myself smiling every step of the way knowing I would not be here without them.” The happy memories certainly put a spring in his step, as he completed the London Marathon in 3:18:30 and the Cambridge Half Marathon in 1:34:07! It is still possible to support Ryan's Just Giving page.
Not to be outdone, Support Services Manager Marita Walsh provided support of a different kind for the runners. She says: “In support I ate half a Marathon (although they are called Snickers these days….)!”
The next TTP Cambridge Half Marathon will be held on Sunday March 6th, returning to its normal time after delays caused by Covid this year. More details can be found on their website.
Kathleen Pickett (l), Oli Millington, Ryan Geiser and Matt Bushen (not pictured) took part in the half marathon.
