Page 10 - SpringSummerNL25

Seville Marathon February 2025

I love having a challenge and so after trying to get a ballot place in the London
Marathon for around 11 years, I decided to give up waiting and run the Seville
Marathon in February 2025.
As February marks the end of the hunting season and the marathon was in
Spain, I thought it was only right to try and raise some money for Greyhounds in
Need who are so close to my heart, as they brought us to our beautiful boy
Miguel (some of you may remember him as Blackberry from September 2023).

Throughout winter I completed 16 weeks of training through
cold, dark mornings as well as some pretty memorable storms
(it felt like we had one every weekend at points). Miguel even
joined me for some of the shorter training runs, and he gets
so excited when he sees me get the running lead out.

February came around very quickly, and I travelled to Seville
with my best friend, who was also running, and our partners.
This was the first marathon I’ve attempted, and it was nerve
wracking thinking about the 26.2 miles ahead and the sheer
length of time that I was expecting to keep running for.
I have completed some endurance events before, and know
how most of the effort towards the end draws on your
mental strength and determination. With this in mind I tried
to keep positive, ate a LOT of carbs the night before and put my GIN vest on
with pride to walk towards the start line.

Along the course I saw a running group called ‘Los Galgos’ as well as a number of
beautiful rescued galgos with their owners who were there supporting runners,
and each time it felt like such a boost and helped me remember why I was
running. In the harder moments, I had to remember that my few hours of
chosen discomfort was absolutely nothing compared to what some of those
galgos would have been through in their short lives.

Coming across the finish line 4 hours and 29 minutes after I started was such
an incredible feeling. The first sip of beer after the
finish was an even better feeling! I’m so grateful to
absolutely every person who
sponsored me and helped me raise
money for GIN - the current total
stands at £1,243. Thank you all so
much for your generosity and kind
words along the way. I would do the
whole thing again in a heartbeat
(well, perhaps after another week
of sitting down and eating biscuits).
Hayley Crossland

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