Elliott Duffy Garrett Solicitors took part in the Belfast City Marathon Team Relay on Sunday 1st May 2022. The Team raised a total of £440.00 for their charity of the year, Headway – the brain injury association.
We caught up with Taylor Kirk, Paralegal, who took part in the relay. Here is what Taylor had to say: –
- Why did you decide to take part in the Team Relay?
Given the past couple of years of relative hiatus concerning charitable events and fundraising I thought running a leg of the Belfast Marathon would be a great way to start generating awareness for our charity of the year here at Elliott Duffy Garrett. Additionally, it provided me with the opportunity to challenge myself mentally and physically increasing my health and wellbeing simultaneously.
- How did you find the event?
The whole day from arriving in Belfast to supporting other runners, to then running my leg of the relay had an insurmountable buzz and energy associated with it. When the inevitable time came for me to set off on my leg of the marathon I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and thrived on the support and enthusiasm of the thousands of people lining the streets, but also the other runners around me. One particular moment of the run that sticks with me was when I got to the top of the Ormeau Road and then turned down the Ravenhill Road I thought I was on the home stretch. However, I didn’t realise just how long the Ravenhill Road was and I kept thinking, ‘I should be able to see the turn off for the embankment by now…’. By this stage I was starting to get a little tired. Then two runners came up alongside me and I could tell they had run the full marathon by the green numbers. One of them turned to the other and said “this last mile is for Sandra; this is Sandra’s mile”. This resonated with me: I thought this run is about much more than me feeling tired at this very moment, this is about people like “Sandra”.
- Why would you encourage others to take part?
The atmosphere throughout Belfast was amazing and to be a part of it felt like a great privilege. The marathon is much less about the run itself – so many people run it in memory of a loved one or to raise money for a charity that it is more about the reason why people are doing it. It is an amazing achievement to even run a leg and knowing that you are able to do something small to support a great cause like Headway makes it even more of a privilege.
Further information about our charity of the year can be found here: –
