THE ART OF RUNNING
They all made it! Please congratulate our runners with a donation
Arts4Wokingham was supported by four runners in the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 7th April 2024. They helped us hit our fundraising target for the event but we are still open for donations.
Watch the video here
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Meet our Runners
Amanda Oxlade-Gotobed
Remarkable is a much over used word but in Amanda’s case it actually falls short. In 2015, prompted by a number of personal health issues, Amanda asked for a Fitbit for Christmas. This was the catalyst for a dramatic change of lifestyle. Over a period of three and half years, a dedicated fitness regime led to her losing a staggering eight stone.
Today, her weekly challenges continue and are quite simply breathtaking; running four to five times a week, undertaking two minute challenges every day, spinning twice a week and still finding time for regular swims with her daughter.
We salute Amanda who will be carefully rationing her favourite foods of homemade beef stroganoff and macaroni cheese as she maintains her training regime ahead of the Brighton Marathon which she has run once before in 2021
Amanda runs under her nickname of Doris. In the midst of her whirlwind of physical activities, last year this extraordinary lady donated bone marrow to her brother who was diagnosed with leukaemia. We remain speechless and humbled by her achievements and delighted that she has decided to wear Arts4Wokingham’s vest. If you are as impressed as we are, do please consider giving her your support..
Alex Prideaux
When selecting our runners we were delighted to receive an approach from Alex. He’d read about our fundraising Brighton marathon campaign and, as somewhat of a marathon veteran, was only too happy to pitch in and secure one of the four places we had available. We use the word ‘veteran’ advisedly. Alex has run no fewer than forty marathons over the past fifteen years - three of these on home shores here in London which he has lined up for a fourth run again this year. Alex can also lay claim to being an international marathon competitor having run marathons in Toronto, Stockholm and Dublin.
As an experienced competitor, he’s learned a few do’s and don’ts over the years. He ran in a superhero’s costume on his first London marathon and now suggests that tights, long sleeve tops, gloves and a mask may not be the optimum running gear when taking on a 26.2 mile challenge. He doesn’t claim to be a speed merchant but essentially runs for fun. Mind you, if his brother decides to run in the same event, he does confess to a touch of sibling rivalry with fun tending to yield to more full-blooded competition.
Alex is a keen supporter of the arts and great believer that public access should be as wide and extensive as possible. He has already generously primed his sponsorship pot and we hope that there will be many out there who’d like to join him in making sure that his efforts are both rewarded and realised.
Stuart Ratcliff
Stuart should be entirely at home pounding the streets in and around Kemptown and The Royal Pavilion. He is a former student at the university of Brighton who’s determined to convert his 90’s pub crawls into something a lot more impressive.
Having turned his back on banking, Stuart now dedicates his life to fitness, health and well-being. In addition to offering sessions at Wokingham’s ‘Energie Fitness’, he also runs his own company, ‘Exercise In Mind’.
Mind you, it’s not all about rigid goals and self -deprivation. He still manages to occasionally enjoy two of his favourite foods, chicken and steak, alongside the odd glass of beer – in moderation, of course.
Having never undertaken the challenge of a full marathon before, Stuart is determined to give this his best shot. It’s a lifetime first. There’s plenty of scope for a bit of domestic rivalry, too. Stuart’s partner, Anne, has also taken up the challenge. As a former Brighton marathon runner, she’s determined to improve upon her previous time and cross the line in well under five hours.
Anne Reece
Aware that her partner, Stuart Ratcliff, will be taking on his first full marathon, Anne is determined to exploit her past experience of this south coast challenge - which may just give her the edge.
She last ran the Brighton marathon in 2021 when in recovery from covid. Nevertheless, she still managed to complete the 26.2 mile course in 5 hours and 25 minutes. This time, she’s determined that she will come in well under the five hour mark.
Sushi and a gin and tonic are her preferred weaknesses and she, too, runs her own fitness, health and well-being company, ‘Mind Flow’. When it comes to leisure pursuits Anne loves dancing, which neatly combines fitness and fun.
It remains to be seen whether Anne will be battling the demons of her former Brighton marathon race time or the determination to come in ahead of fellow race competitor, her partner Stuart.
