Liz’s 12 Half Marathons in 12 Days!
It is not every day that somebody completes a half marathon and certainly not 12 in as many days and yet local lady Liz Ujszaszi Evans, an avid runner, has just completed this remarkable challenge to raise money and awareness for Winston’s Wish, having fundraised £1,069 so far!
A cause close to her heart after her young family received support following a bereavement, Liz was keen to do something to give back and to help other young people and their families be aware of the support available to them.
Liz comments, “I first came into contact with Winston’s Wish when my husband passed away in 2013 when our two sons were 10 and 13. They were recommended to me by my big sister Catherine as she had come into contact with them before in her role as a District Nurse.”
I wanted to raise money for Winston’s Wish as they helped me and my sons when we needed lots of support. It was really important for us to have someone to talk to who was not family and for us to understand that we were not alone in what we were going through. I think that was the most important thing for me personally, I didn’t feel like I was the only person to have gone through what we did.
Liz, Half Marathon runner
“I definitely think young people, especially as in my case when they are approaching their teenage years, can often find it difficult to open up about how they feel. Even the fact that they could talk to someone if they need to can be a huge comfort. As a parent any support you can get to deal with a traumatic bereavement is extremely beneficial, as obviously you are trying to do the best to protect your children from any further trauma and pain.
“I think it’s important for Winston’s Wish and organisations like them to be visible because when you go through a traumatic bereavement, your emotions are all over the place, so you need a service that is easy to find and readily available.”
Liz is an avid runner, with impressive runs such as the London Marathon already under her belt. Incredibly, this latest 12 half marathons in 12 days challenge has drawn her 100 half marathon challenge to a close!
Preparing for the challenge
Reflecting on her challenge, which began on the 10th of April, Liz says, “I have been running for about 8 years now and have completed more than half marathons so far. I run Parkrun regularly with my husband and have also done a few 50-mile Ultras too. The key for me is to run 2 or 3 times a week and I also do strength work in the gym, which helps enormously. Mentally the most difficult part is getting up at 5.30am every morning to drive for about 40 minutes to the venue for 12 days in a row!
“The thing I was most looking forward to about the challenge was spending 12 days with the most incredible people! I am so lucky that I am able to share this experience with my husband and we have met so many lovely people in our running journey, who we are now privileged to call friends.
“Over the course of the 12 days you develop a great bond with all the people running and you become like a special family! Also the venue is right on the Thames Towpath so it is beautiful, which helps! Plus, the last day we both ran our 100th Half Marathon, so we were one of the first husband and wife teams to achieve it on the same day!”
Liz is raising money and awareness of Winston’s Wish, the UK’s first children and young people’s bereavement charity which supports more than 80,0000 young people up to the age of 25 throughout the UK when their worlds are turned upside down by grief.
Liz adds, “If you have never done any charity fundraising, I would say go for it! It certainly gives you a focus and incentive to complete whatever challenge you have set yourself. Use all the social media avenues to spread the word and obviously work colleagues, friends through clubs. You will probably be surprised how generous people are for a good cause. It is great to be able to give a little bit back to the people or organisation that helped you when you needed it most.
“I would just like to add that a traumatic bereavement can never be forgotten but with the right love and support you can learn to live again. I am incredibly lucky in that I have a wonderful supportive family too which makes a huge difference.”
Feel inspired by Liz’s Half Marathon challenge?
Has Liz’s 12 half marathon challenges got you pumped and ready to take on your challenge? Take a look at our running challenges and pick the perfect one for you, whether that be a 5k, 10k, half marathon or even a marathon!
We know you’ve got this, and any challenge you undertake will help us in our mission to ensure no child or young person grieves alone.