The Dartmouth Boggle and Word Yahtzee Sports Club (amateur)

established just before teatime 1993^©

Ed Parr Ferris

Like all of us, I started my running career at an early age – coming second several times in primary school sports days, earning coveted red ribbons for my efforts. I didn’t do so well in the egg and spoon race – anything requiring hand-eye co-ordination was always going to be a problem due to the NHS thick-rimmed specks and wonky fish-eyes. So running seemed a good thing to focus on!

In secondary school I found that the long distance events suited me best, racing, and coming 44^th, for my school at the local cross-country championships. This was mirrored by events at the Devon Air Training Corps Athletics Competition, where myself and Ross competed. We shared the first and second spots at the 800m and 1500m, aiding Dartmouth to gain the points trophy for the day.

Since then, running had taken a back foot to rowing, drinking, college, drinking, work and drinking. I still ran a few miles here and there as part of training, but it wasn’t until seeing three friends run the Plymouth half-marathon that my interest was sparked again and I thought “I can do that”. So, when Ross asked if I fancied doing a spot of running as winter training in January 2004 I said, “Let me at ‘em”. After the three half-marathons of 04, it felt like the obvious next step for me, Ross and Len to move on to the big one – London. It’s something that just about any Brit, who isn’t a couch potato, wants to achieve.

Having entered way back in August and waited all of the autumn, it was a full on rug-puller when I found out that I hadn’t got in through the ballot, especially knowing that the others were already in. So I had a little think about which charities I would consider running for. Len and I had chatted before that, if we did the marathon, then it’d be for an asthma or lung charity, as those diseases are what most affect the lives of our parents, friends, and even us. So, with a quick phone call to Karen at the British Lung Foundation I secured my Golden Bond place with them.

As with anything I do, I’m way behind on the money raising. £1,500 is no small sum of cash and, to be honest, I’m a tad worried that I’ll struggle to make it. However, in typical Boggle spirits I feel that, as with the marathon itself, it’s far more exciting to win with a sprint finish than to plod in ten minutes in front. So, may the sponsorship begin. The good folks at the British Lung Foundation rely on folks like you sponsoring idiots like me to do these silly events so that they can carry on helping people who can’t even make it to their front gates. They research the causes, look for cures, and offer help to those with any lung disease, be they a newborn baby girl or old man grampy Parr Ferris himself.

So. Any money you’ve got spare, or any money you’d like to give, then get in touch with me, and I’ll tell you how you can help support me support the British Lung Foundation.

Cheers and boggle boggle.

 Ed ‘Fisheyes’ Parr Ferris