Sam runs the Richmond Half for Stripey Stork

At the beginning of April, Sam Smitherman from Walton Heath Golf Club took on the Richmond half in aid of Stripey Stork. Sam’s New Year’s resolution was to get back into running and fitness and upon hearing that Stripey Stork are Walton Heath’s captain’s charity, he decided to pledge his support. Sam raised over £5,500 including Gift Aid for Stripey Stork and we are extremely grateful to him and all his supporters.

Sam says;

I thought it would be a great way to kick start their year of fundraising for this wonderful charity. One that really hits home to me being a recent father and soon to be father of two! Hearing some of the stories and struggles that some parents face in these hard times its truly heart-breaking and hopefully this small feat helps in some way.

After the run we caught up with Sam.

Are you an experienced runner? How hard was this run going to be?

Not really – I first got into running during lockdown and loved it! I decided to pick it back up in January this year and this is how this run was born. I had never run more than 13km at one time before, so it was a bit unknown.

Why choose to do the run?

Initially as a bit of a challenge with some of my friends. When Johnny and Lorna’s captains’ year started and I heard about the chosen captains charity it compelled me to use it as a vehicle to raise some money!

What training did you do and how did it go?

I ran over 130k in January before picking up a knee injury (I’m getting old) I ended up not running for roughly six weeks Jan-April due to the injury. It wasn’t ideal but managed to have a silver lining as I started swimming three times a week to keep up some less impact fitness and currently continue to do this.

Were you looking forward to the run?

Absolutely, I’m very competitive and love to challenge myself.

How did it go on the day?

Better than expected! It was a bit cold, and it was a busy race. It was four laps of Richmond Park and I found counting down the laps an incentive rather than a hindrance. I was feeling good after 16km but that quickly changed with 2km to go. But we made it!

How do you think the money will help Stripey Stork?

I was blown away with how much this effort has managed to raise. I hope this goes a long way to supporting the families that need this help the most in these uncertain times.

————-

If you want to fundraise for Stripey Stork then please visit our website. Fundraising can take on many different forms, so whether you want to complete a run or host a bake sale, we’d love to hear from you.