AB2U Blog

There are very few of us that have not been affected by the current economic climate in one way or another, whether at work or just by the cost of living, but this has not stopped the great British public’s generosity, or to be even more specific, the generosity of friends, family, clients and candidates of Abenefit2u who have been donating on a regular basis to a our various Fun Runs for Charity throughout 2008.

In January 2008 Kathryn and I decided to raise £1,000 for charity by December 2008, by competing in fun runs every month for different charities. For each fun run we raised a ‘Just Giving’ on-line donation page and emailed all our friends, family, clients and candidates (who also fall into the first category) asking if they would like to donate. There have been many different charities, to allow people to chose those close to their hearts or give when they are able (we all have strict monthly budgets these days). Abenefit2u’s aim was to run 10 races, each with a fund raising target of £100 making a final total of £1,000 raised by December 2008. To our delight we have not only hit £1,000 but exceeded it and already achieved over £1,300 in donations and gift aid.

This total does not include other fund raising events and causes such as Jeans for Genes, Wear it Pink, Stamp collecting for guide dogs for the blind, RNLI and many more…

Abenefit2u still have two more races to compete in this year:

• 10K Rainforest Run, Finsbury Park, London, Sunday 2nd November 2008
• Disability Snow Sport UK London Santa Run, Battersea Park, Saturday 6th December 2008

We do not wish to exhaust people’s generosity, so please, if you have already donated to one or more of our previous runs, do not do so again, you have been kind enough. Save those pennies for Santa Claus, or next year, when we will be aiming to do exactly the same all over again…

In the meantime, a BIG AB2U running bugs THANK YOU to everyone who has been kind enough to support us throughout 2008.

It has been a very special year for Kathryn and I (although far from over yet…) who wanted to create a recruitment consultancy that not only offers the pinnacle of service but also makes a difference to the world around us.

1% of every placement made with Abenefit2u Occupational Pension & Benefit Recruitment Specialist is donated to a charity of our clients choice.

By: Kathryn Rees

After entering this race at the beginning of the year, it did seem to creep up on me rather quickly! This was my first half marathon and what had seemed an almost impossible task only 6 weeks ago when I was struggling with a tendon problem in my ankle, luckily somehow managed to come together as my ankle started to heal and allowed me to spend the last month getting in some training.

Despite the fact that 13.1 miles seemed rather daunting I was really looking forward to the race, especially since live music was meant to be playing throughout the course to help spur us on. The event started at the o2 and then took in the sites of Greenwich and Woolwich as the course snaked around South East London.

Unfortunately these sights and sounds were somewhat dampened by the awful weather. All the spectators and runners were absolutely amazing, which helped to keep spirits up despite the pouring rain. One of my favourite parts of the run (at about mile 10) was running through some army barracks where there was a band playing YMCA. The site of all of us runners trying to dance and run at the same time in the rain was quite a spectacle and I think did help to lift the mood!

The event was also hit by transport problems. My journey to the race had taken over 2 hours (when it should usually take less than an hour). Unfortunately there was a defective train at North Greenwich tube station and that was where everyone was trying to get to! So with the jubilee line part suspended, thousands of runners were stuck trying to get a bus to the o2. Another slight problem was the fact that it was a rather long walk from the bus stop to the o2 and consequently many of us had got an extra warm-up by undertaking a 2 mile walk (again in the rain) just to get to the start! Luckily the organisers delayed the start by 45 minutes which meant we did not miss the beginning of the race.

Despite all these problems, I still had a great day and was very pleased to finish in under 2 ½ hours. I am looking forward to taking on another half marathon next year and will be looking to improve on my time!

I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me, you helped me to raise £182.50 for Leukaemia Research which is absolutely fantastic. I would also like to say a special thank you to Ed who showed up in the rain to meet me at the end and take me out for a much needed lunch!

If anyone is interested in learning more about this event and possibly entering next year, please click here to visit their website.

I will be back running again with Dianne in our next race together which will the Rainforest Foundation 10k on 2nd November, so I do get a month off before the next one!

Kathryn at Abenefit2u

By Dianne Beer

“Why?” was a word that popped into my head about a 100 times as I staggered around the 7k City of London Great Gorilla Run course, in a rubber gorilla suit, in 20 degrees of sunshine, at 11.00am last Saturday morning.
The next time I watch the London marathon I will take great pity and have the utmost respect for anyone running in full fancy dress.

This was the one run of the year I had been looking forward to the most, finally a fun run that was just that, no racing the clock and chasing PB’s (Personal Best Times), just jogging along slowly laughing at everyone else around me in gorilla costumes; how wrong I was! Half a mile into the race I was forced to break the one challenge I had set myself for the race; not to take my mask off. I am not sure anyone would have noticed the difference, but it was either that or falling over with heat exhaustion and one less gorilla in the race. How some runners kept their masks on I do not know. I thought my head was going to explode. Luckily as soon as I did take my mask off I quickly recovered and was able to jog along again and continue to leave a trail of dripping sweat behind me, what a charming vision.

All the runners were absolutely amazing, with lots of male runners really playing their part and making screeching and whopping noises at the crowd as they lurched along. The screams of delight (or fear) from the little children along the way were lovely to hear, and four London bridges later the finish line was finally in site and probably the most welcome it has ever been to me. I put my mask back on for the last 100 metre dash and then proudly took it off again to let Bill Oddie put a medal around my neck.

This is not me in the photograph below, but it is a super shot of Bill Oddie, who must have been exhausted by the end of the day, after congratulating 700+ gorillas.

This years race saw the biggest turn out of runners yet, just under 800 people crazy enough to compete, and make it a ‘World Record’ gathering of people in gorilla suits. As every gorilla has to raise £400, this meant that the minimum funds raised by this lovely event will be £320,000.

Bill Oddie gave a lovely speech and reminded everyone just why we were competing. There were more runners in the race than there are gorillas left in the world. What a sad thought; there are now less than 800 of these beautiful creatures left in the world. I was really proud to be doing my bit to prevent their extinction and ensure their habitats are preserved and breeding continues to allow future generations to thrive. However, all I did was run the race, it is thanks to all my friends, family, and even one of my lovely clients, Colin, (who very generously donated £25.00) that I was able to raise the £400 required to compete in this event. I must on this occasion give an extra special BIG THANK YOU to Andy, who donated £330 to this event and a further thank you for Remzi for being ‘Fun Run Photographer Extraordinaire’ yet again!

I really hope you enjoy the photographs but do not expect to see gorillas like these in the wild… especially the crazy female gorilla wearing a naughty nurses outfit!