On Sunday February 28th 2010, 4 staff members will be running the Malta Marathon and Half Marathon to raise £2400 for The Family Holiday Association (FHA). Natalie Lebeter (Marketing), James Maplethorpe (Sales), Sarah Lake (Operations) and Mark Gardner (Managing Director) are coming to the end of their intense three month training schedule in preparation for the event. Each runner is tasked with raising £600.00 with many fundraising campaigns underway. To find out more about their challenge click HERE.

With just 11 days remaining until the BIG RACE, we checked in with Teamlink's Malta Marathon team to find out how they are getting on...

Q&A Session with the four runners:

The Locker Room: “With only four weeks to go until the big day, how confident are you in achieving your running goals?”
James: “My aim was, and still is, to beat Natalie’s PB (personal best) of 1h 51 minutes!”
Natalie: “No chance, you’ve not got the endurance and will be lucky to break 2 hours!”
James: “In that case, would you be willing to have a wager? £10 I beat it. Loser pays the penalty to the FHA!”
Natalie: “Get your chequebook ready”
The Locker Room: “Steady on, you two – it’s only a bit of fun after all”
Sarah: “Fun? This running malarkey has seriously affected my shopping time”
The Locker Room: “Can’t you run around the Westfield Centre whilst shopping and kill two birds with one stone?”
Sarah: “In heels?”
The Locker Room: *sigh*
Sarah: “Actually, I’m really enjoying it and my new trainers coordinate well with my new shorts”
Mark: “Unbelievable”
The Locker Room: “How are you guys managing to balance the training in with your job and your social lives”
James: “I’m still managing to get to see the mighty Lincoln City most Saturdays”
Natalie: “That’s why you’re not going to beat my PB”
The Locker Room: “Ahem!”
Sarah: “It’s been tough going but I’m now starting to really enjoy it and look forward to the sessions”
The Locker Room: “How often are you guys training?”
James: “4 times a week, according to my schedule. Just about managing at the moment but it’s been tough with the snow and cold weather”
Natalie: “As I’m stepping up to the Marathon distance I’m running 5-6 times a week whilst squeezing in basketball training and matches”
The Locker Room: “A busy bee!”
Natalie: “Yes, but if the miles aren’t put in we’ll struggle on the day”
Sarah: “Our motto is to train hard and fight easy”
The Locker Room: “Sounds very ‘Rocky-esque’”
Mark: “Don’t mess with her...”
The Locker Room: *Gulp*
The Locker Room: “What times are you all going for?”
Natalie: “3 hours 45 minutes”
Mark: “I’ve been trying to run under 3 hours for the past 22 marathons so my goal remains the same! I feel pretty confident this time, though”
James: “1.50.59 will do me!”
Sarah: “2 hours 20 minutes would be fantastic”
The Locker Room: “Are you all on schedule?”
James: “ish”
Natalie: “I think so”
Sarah: “Not far off”
Mark: “Pretty much so”
The Locker Room: “A coy bunch!”
The Locker Room: “What are the biggest challenges with this event?”
Sarah: “Raising funds is hard but luckily I’ve got lots of friends who have been fantastic and supported me through donations on our JustGiving page”
James: “The longer runs are tough going but it’s great to cross them off the schedule once completed”
Natalie: “My schedule requires me to run 40+ miles per week, which is challenging in light of workload and my basketball commitments”
Mark: “Ditto to Nat’s comment, although mine requires 60 miles per week, which is tough going on the legs!”
The Locker Room: “How’s the fundraising going?”
Natalie: “We’re 25% towards our total and getting quite a few donations per day. There’s still a lot of work to do but if there’s anyone out there that can spare a few pounds then please visit our fundraising page!”
Mark: “I’m really proud of everyone so far. It’s tough going, especially with us all working long hours in travel, but it’s coming together. We’re also in charge of the travel logistics and entertainment for the UK runners as well as taking a large group of athletes and supporters over to Malta, which is exciting and inspiring to see the commitment of our clients for the race. The FHA is an excellent charity and one that we’re delighted to support as their work benefits so many underprivileged families. We’re giving it our best shot at raising as much cash as possible for this excellent cause.”
The Locker Room: “Thanks guys, and all the best in your efforts for the forthcoming race”

Submitted: 4th February 2010