17 Feb 2020
Fearless charity runners do it their own way after planned London 10km run is cancelled by Storm Ciara.
Vet Times
Job Title
A race cancellation for bad weather did not stop the team from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service.
Vet personnel are nothing if not determined. A team of 14 runners from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull had signed up to take part in a London 10km run to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
However, when the event was cancelled due to Storm Ciara, which brought strong winds and flooding, the runners put their heads down and ploughed on regardless.
Fighting their way through gale force winds, hail and rain, the team of mostly non-runners – who call themselves the Titanium Warriors – slogged 10km around an alternative course at Draycote Water near Rugby in Warwickshire to raise £7,700 for the national charity.
Willows marketing manager Samantha MacDonald said: “There we were at 5pm on Friday [7 February], with trainers and Lycra, all packed for London when we received the news that, in the face of Storm Ciara, the London Winter Run had been cancelled.
Ms MacDonald continued: “We were all gutted, but immediately looked to form a plan B, as there was no way all our training and determination – and, most importantly, all the monetary and emotional support we’d received – were going to go to waste.
“So, 500-odd WhatsApp messages later, and in true warrior style, the Titanium Warriors had hatched a plan to do it on their own, in their own way, in their own location.
“We took to Draycote Water on Sunday morning to endure gale force winds, hail and rain beating down, head winds, tail winds and cross winds – all to raise awareness and money for Cancer Research UK.”
The charity run was inspired by the loss of Willows colleague and friend Carole Taylor, who died from cancer last year.
To donate to the Willows team, visit its JustGiving page.
