Polar IceCap Marathon for Hurst Hedgehog Haven

Hi,

My name is Lorna, and I am passionate about a few things but mostly: Animals and Running

When it comes to Animals, whilst I support many great initiatives, the one that is extremely close to my heart right now, is helping British Hedgehogs.

Hedgehogs are on the Red List here in the UK , which means they are at risk of becoming extinct in the very near future and are already considered an endangered species.

 

 

 

During lockdown last year, we started to see Hedgehogs outside our back garden, and by summer we had 8 regular visitors, 5 hedgehog nesting houses, and 3 feeding stations!

I use cameras to keep an eye on my little visitors, as Hedgehogs have a really tough time of it here in the UK.

Not only are they suffering from huge loss of habitat and natural food sources, but we also killing them on our roads, and blocking off their territories with all our new houses.

 

 

 

I hadn't realised how dire the situation was until I started seeing and reading more from all the wonderful wildlife and hedgehog rescues, who work tirelessly to save each and every little hedgehog life.

 

More close to my heart, is the Hurst Hedgehog Haven , who are my local hedgehog rescue.

 

 

 

 

I was aware of them, but having healthy hogs for the most part, hadn't needed their services, until one day, whilst sat at work, I checked my local villages hedgehog group page, to find someone had seen a trapped hedgehog stuck on barbed wire. Nobody had replied to the call for help and it had already been an hour, so I dropped everything I was doing, and rushed out to help the hog, who was only a few minutes away from me.

 

I called the lovely Ann from Hurst Hedgehog Haven to try and figure out what to do once I got there as I had no idea what I would find and what to do next.

 

Barry - as he will always be fondly known.....thanks for the awesome name Carol!.....had been walking along his usual territorial route, searching for some females to have fun with, and had gotten stuck in a rather sensitive part of his body - on a nasty barbed wire fence that was stretched out along the ground.

 

 

 

It took 3 people and some bolt cutters to release him, and Hurst Hedgehog Haven were there with me all the way providing guidance and follow up support once Barry had been to the vet.

 

The lovely Carol took Barry in a day later where he spent a few recovering from his 1 stitch and a rather swollen sensitive body part. Barry was later released back to me where he spent one night eating everything he could see, and then off he went, back to his own territory never to be seen again.

 

 

 

This is just one example, but the Hurst Hedgehog Haven take in and treat and rehabilitate hundreds of hogs each year - mainly small babies and juveniles who are too small and hungry and dehydrated to survive otherwise.

 

Hurst Hedgehog Haven rely 100% on fundraising and donations, and each volunteer works from their own home, often supplementing care from their own pockets to avoid any hedgehog being left un-cared for.

 

 

So - I decided to bring my two passions together, and dedicate one of my epic running adventures, to raising as much money as I can for Hurst Hedgehog Haven , to help save as many little prickly lives as we can.

 

What is this epic adventure I hear you shout....please tell us....

I will be running a marathon, and a half marathon over 2 days, in Greenland across the Polar Ice Cap on Sat and Sun 30/31st Oct this year. 

 

 

There. That's it. A marathon on Saturday and a Half Marathon on Sunday, in sub freezing temperatures (like possibly quite crazy cold temperatures!), wearing spikes on my shoes so I can stay upright (or attempt to!) across the Polar Ice Cap.

 

 

Now my sister always laughs about my running style, as being a hypermobile person, I have very flexible joints, which sounds great, but as a runner, you need stability, so here's hoping that my 'wibbly wobbly' ankles will get me around just over 39 miles across ice and snow without too much 'fally downy' .......want to place some bets on how often I fall??

 

Here's some pics to show how easy it's going to be for me to do a lot of 'fally downy'....um yeah - so they don't call this the Polar Bear Challenge for nothing, so, whilst running a marathon is something I have done a few times before, I've done it across Ice, Snow, and then run a half marathon the next day too - Eeeek!

 

Another reason to raise money for this wonderful Hurst Hedgehog Haven, is to motivate me to get up on the Sunday and run again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There you have it - Lorna will be doing lots of 'fally downy' on the ice, in the cold, oh and there is a REAL risk of frostbite (they put that in the small print!!), and I have to go out and do it twice....oh yeah - AND there are time limits. Everyone who knows me and my running know I'm a 'turtle' not a 'hare', so time limits are a real challenge for me, but hey - the HEDGEHOGS need our help, so I will put myself through all this, to help as many as I possibly can in my local area through the wonderful Hurst Hedgehog Haven. Let's help them buy lots of little incubators for the winter babies, lots of food to fatten them up, and most of all, help them cover the vet bills that saves each and every prickly little life. 

 

So please do give as much as you can - seriously - every single £1 counts, and as I have LOTS OF FRIENDS I am expecting LOTS OF DOSH to come way on this ....even if its just so you can see pictures of me on my arse on the ice - hey - whatever gets your dosh out!

 

Thanks you wonderful wonderful people.