A Bangor accountant is thanking an ‘ostrich’ for helping him in his bid to raise much-needed funds for Wales Air Ambulance.
Keith Barker ran the Bangor 10k in May with colleagues from Williams Denton. Having not run such a race for 25 years, Keith knew it would be a challenge, which became all the more so after he suffered an injury just days before the event.
Keith said: “I had little energy for a lot of the course, in fact I was third from last. My inspiration to reach the finish line came when a man dressed in an ostrich costume started catching me up. I kept thinking: ‘I’m not going to let an ostrich beat me!’ It spurred me on and I kept jogging to the end.”
Keith completed the course in one hour and 33 minutes making him 20th in the over 50s category. Together with his four colleagues, the Williams Denton team have so far raised almost £2,400 for Wales Air Ambulance.
He said: “Along with the ostrich, we have to thank the 146 people and businesses who sponsored us for making the 10k so worthwhile. Their generosity will be put to very good use by Wales Air Ambulance, which is literally a life saving charity.”
Wales Air Ambulance receives no money from the government or National Lottery and relies on charitable donations to meet its £6m a year running costs.
Each potentially life-saving trip costs the charity £1,500.
Gwynedd Community Coordinator for the charity Eifion Jones said: “We rely solely on people’s generosity. The type of fundraising that Williams Denton is doing is hugely important to our ability to be able to deliver this service for the people of Wales.”
To make a donation go to:
http://www.justgiving.com/Keith-Barker
