Three local athletes have raised £2,000 for charity with a helping hand from the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
Accounts administrator Amy Killip, Human Resource manager Kevin Perks and Manx Utilities employee Ian Dunbar completed the Asics Greater Manchester Marathon after months of training and have donated the proceeds of their efforts to The Children’s Centre.
It was a first ever marathon for Kevin and Amy, who is also a freelance fitness instructor, and just a second long-distance running event for Ian after he ran the Dublin Marathon in October last year.
Jane Howland, fundraiser at The Children’s Centre, said: ‘Ian, Kevin and Amy are a fabulous group of people with a great sense of humour and determination and they got on well from the start. Ian was also able to share his experiences which really helped the others.
‘I was totally in awe of all three of them, both before and especially afterwards. I’m so proud of what they achieved and the amount of money they’ve raised for The Children’s Centre.
‘A big thank you also to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. I don’t think people realise how much it does for organisations and good causes on the Isle of Man and by supporting the trip it meant the athletes could raise even more money for the charity.’
After finishing in times of four hours four minutes and 16 seconds (Kevin), 04:13:21 (Ian) and 04:20:19 (Amy), the trio have their sights set on tackling another premier running event.
Amy explained: ‘Whilst we all vowed never again at the finish line, I’ve since spoken to Ian and Kevin about things I would do differently next time, which means I probably want to try again at sub four hours. It was a memorable weekend for us all.’
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward added: ‘The Children’s Centre is an important local charity which does a fantastic job of supporting young people and families on the Isle of Man.
‘Having worked with them for many years we understand the value to the island’s young people and appreciate how important fundraising is for any charity work. We were pleased to offer travel support for this extremely challenging event.
‘Congratulations to all three competitors for their efforts as it’s no mean feat to tackle 26 miles of long-distance running.’
(l-r) Amy Killip, Ian Dunbar and Kevin Perks at the Asics Greater Manchester Marathon
