Reading Half Marathon 2004
7th March 2004

In 2001, Mark Lawrie, an employee of Reading Borough Council, ran the London Marathon for San Francisco Libre. Sponsorship money Mark raised allowed Milton, a PE teacher from SFL, to fly to Reading in spring 2002.

Milton, together with Association member Toni Pujol, completed the 2002 Reading Half Marathon - raising over £1000 for projects in San Francisco Libre.

And now, in 2004, nine members of the Association, and friends, have run the 22nd Reading Half Marathon.

An International Team

The wide support for Reading's twin town in Nicaragua is reflected by the number of Internationalistas present in its half marathon team. Martha is from Nicaragua, Pilar, Vicky and Francisco are from various parts of Spain, and Panos is from Greece.

Race Report

The 13.1 mile run commenced under near perfect weather conditions, as well-wishers thronged the streets, clapping and cheering the runners on their way. An hour later, the conditions took a turn for the worse, and our runners found themselves battling through rain, sleet and snow, on their way to the Madejski Stadium finishing line.

A few hardy supporters braved the inclement weather to attempt to lift the flagging spirits of the athletes, and the British Red Cross was on hand to care for the casualties.

A mere 7,500 runners made it over the finishing line, to collect their commemorative Half Marathon medals - and through grit, and sheer determination, all nine of our runners completed the course.

Congratulations to our runners on a tremendous achievement, and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Our gratitude to everyone who sponsored our team - early estimates put the amount of sponsorship money pledged at almost £1,000 which will be invaluable for the continuation of Reading's projects in San Francisco Libre.

Related Web Links

• Official Web Site of the Reading Half Marathon: http://www.readinghalfmarathon.co.uk/