How to enter & how to donate!

Our Story

This year marks ten years since the death of our wonderful mum, Tonia Oldacre.

Assistant Head-Teacher at John Hanson Community School, Andover, she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. After surgery and treatment she recovered from the disease and returned to a normal life with her husband and children. Sadly the disease returned in 2001 with no prospect of recovery. On 6th September 2002 our mum died at the Countess of Brecknock Hospice in Andover. We, our father and grandmother were at her side. Throughout her battle with cancer, mum fought each step with bravery and dignity, always thinking of others even during her most difficult times. We will always remember her for her strength, optimism, love and kindness throughout our lives and particularly in her last few weeks.

To mark the ten years since her death we are running ten 'Race For Life' events to raise as much money as possible to help beat this disease.



How to enter

We would love as many of you to join us by running or walking one of the following races with us (or more than one race if you can!). If we join together to race as a team, we might just be able to raise our target fundraising figure of £3,000. All you need to do is make a note of which race (or races!) you would like to enter and the Team ID. Then go to www.raceforlife.org and choose the relevant event, entering the Team ID to ensure you run with Team Tonia.

1. 27th May 2012 11am - Hyde Park, London - Team ID KB4797
2. 9th June 2012 2pm - Swindon - Team ID ED4799
3. 17th June 2012 11am - Bournemouth - Team ID KB4801
4. 20th June 2012 7.30pm - Basingstoke - Team ID ED4804
5. 24th June 2012 2pm - Poole - Team ID KB4805
6. 1st July 2012 11am - Salisbury - Team ID ED4807
7. 8th July 2012 11.30am - Southampton - Team ID ED4809
8. 15th July 2012 10am - Oxford - Team ID KB4812
9. 22nd July 2012 11.30am - Portsmouth - Team ID ED4815
10. 29th July 2012 11am - Isle of Wight - Team ID KB4818

How to donate

If you don't fancy taking part, you could always donate via our just giving page: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/team-tonia

or you can text TONI48 £amount to 70070.

Thank you all so much for your support!

Emma & Kate xxx

Somewhere to run, nowhere to Hyde.....

RACE ONE: HYDE PARK - 27TH MAY 2012

Team Tonia members at Hyde Park: Rebecca Dunlop, Rachel Henley, Natalie Smith, Charlotte Spickett, Sam Hodgson, Rona Mackie, Liz Bragg, Sheila Oldacre, Vikki Bealing, Kate Bone & Emma Dowinton

A record number of runners and walkers turned up to Hyde Park on Sunday, and amongst the 9,000 were our eleven beautiful ladies adorned in their pink Team Tonia t-shirts, along with their ever-loving supporters. 

The atmosphere was buzzing, the energy was electric, the queue for the toilets was eternal and the heat was almost unbearable.  Our Team Tonia members had travelled from Andover, Guildford, Newbury, Haywards Heath and Liss, by car, train and tube, with one runner even camping overnight in London to ensure she was there on time. 

Team Coach Ian was there early to erect the banner; 

with hinged legs and guy ropes (the banner, not Dad) and measuring equipment to ensure the poles were banged into the ground in exactly the right place, the banner proudly marked our base camp - they don't call him 'Technical Ian' for nothing.  Team police officer, Roy, was slightly concerned to see him carrying tent pegs, a hammer and a small crow bar strapped to his waist, which saw him very nearly arrested when he dropped said crow bar on the underground.  If only he knew a half-decent lawyer......

As our runners congregated at the meeting point next to the fruit smoothie stand, we realised that two of our members had not received their race packs and numbers.  The queue for the enquiries stand was three times as long as the queue for the toilets, so there was some debate as to whether they should run without their numbers, especially as they were both officially registered but fell victim to an administrative error on the part of Race for Life.  However, the shy, retiring wall-flower, Rebecca, stormed to the front of the queue and somehow sweet talked her way into getting her number immediately, swiftly followed by Sam with spokesperson Charlotte!  Now a complete and fully 'numbered' team, we made our way to the start line.  Or so we thought.  We stood eagerly under the sign marked 'Runners', waving goodbye to Sam who made her way to the 'walkers' start position.  Little did we know that there would be what felt like a 3 mile walk to the actual start line, at which point we would then start in groups every two minutes due to the huge number of entrants! 

Still, the atmosphere at this point was brilliant - excited giggling, enthusiastic discussions about our possible race times and mexican waves a-plenty.  Eventually, it was our turn to run, and after a(nother) count down from ten, the claxon sounded and we were off. 

And then the heat hit us.  As we jogged out of the shade and into the heat on the street, we realised we were attempting to run 5km in what felt like one of the hottest days of the year, and at the hottest time of the day!  However, we cannot have been as hot as the lady in the head-to-toe pink pig outfit, or the three ladies dressed as superwoman.  There were several other great outfits; lots of wigs, tutus and even one runner who looked suspiciously like a man.....

Our t-shirts looked amazing.  Our team name showed so clearly that the official race marshalls were cheering for Team Tonia through their megaphones.  The dedications on the back showed that we were running for people who meant so much to us; in particular Linda, Lillian, Debbie, Ken, Alan, Lesley, Norman and Ernie.

As we made our way through Hyde Park we were distracted from thinking about the heat and the aching legs by the sights and activities around us.  Hyde Park was full of pink runners as well as members of the public carrying on their usual Sunday morning antics - weight lifting, horse riding, skateboarding, skiing on wheels (?!), pedalos on the lake, and 'normal' runners - who must have cursed us for ruining their usually quiet Sunday morning jog!

Just when we thought we couldn't take any more of the blistering sunshine, we saw ahead an elderly race marshall, holding a sign reading '500 yds to go' and carrying a small stereo.  As we passed him, he shouted 'well done Team Tonia, only two more right hand bends'.  He then proceeded to turn on the stereo and dance to Lady Gaga, thus providing us with enough of a distraction to get us up the very steep hill ahead.  Once we'd got our breath back (from laughing as well as running) we motored down the final stretch, our eyes locked on the finish line ahead.  Vikki, Emma, Rebecca and I crossed the line together, hands held and arms raised.  As we slowed to a walk, we enjoyed a sweaty, emotional hug as we realised we had completed the first of ten races.

Further on we were greeted by the rest of the team who had kindly waited for us, and we made our way back to base camp to the cheers and claps of our supporters.

It was a great day and a great atmosphere, and Emma and I want to thank the Team Tonia Hyde Park ladies for making it so special.  Thank you too to the family and friends that came along to support us and to the children who played so nicely together, and asked us 'did you win?' as soon as we returned!

Our next race is in two weeks time in Swindon and we cannot wait to run again. 

One down, nine to go!!!

The TeamTonia Hyde Park Ladies: (from L to R - top) Sam Hodgson, Natalie Smith, Rachel Henley, Rebecca Dunlop, Vikki Bealing, Kate Bone, Sheila Oldacre; (front) Charlotte Spickett, Rona Mackie, Emma Dowinton, Liz Bragg.

Kate - 28th May 2012

Photograph...

I have just returned from my penultimate training run before the first race at Hyde Park on Sunday.
I tried every excuse not to go out.....been at work all day...  .too hot.....too tired......too busy.....nothing worked!
Roy sent me on my way with his iPod strapped to my arm with a tubi-grip and the comment "you've got to do at least three miles!"
The iPod has various tracks - lots of nursery rhymes, loads of Glee tracks and more normal music that Roy likes like Nickelback.

So....I have my 'Team Tonia in Training' t-shirt on and am running through the Clatfords listening to the Nickelback album. I find myself thinking about why we are doing these runs and how much Kate and I miss mum, wishing every day she was with us.
I think about her not being able to meet and see her grandchildren grow up and not being able to enjoy the retirement she had worked so hard for. I feel sad that she will never meet Roy, and even sadder that she will never really know how well I did (A handsome policeman??!!!! "Blimey....they tended to be on the other side of the law!!" I imagine her saying!!!!)

I think, selfishly, about all the things I would ask her, all the advice I would seek from her and all the love we would all share with her.
I think that poor Kate has been left eternally playing 'mum' to her "ickle blister" (as she has always called me), managing my stress levels and my melodramatic disasters.....She's fab, she's my very own hero and my best friend and she will never really know how much she means to me....(you do now Sis!)....

Then I'm back listening to Nickelback and huffing and puffing down Barlows Lane.....to a song titled 'Photograph'.

"Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye."

xxxxxx

Becoming famous...!

We've made it! Team Tonia are officially famous!
The lovely ladies in the Andover Cancer Research UK shop have given over their window to Team Tonia and the Race for Life events.
It's crazy to look in the window and see yourself looking back! However, it's absolutely fantastic that Andover is getting behind us and supporting the efforts of the 69 runners!!!

Break not a flower....

Kate and I were interviewed last week for the Inspired Community website.
We had to explain why we had hatched this hair-brained idea to run ten 'race for life' events and talk about our training etc..
We talked about the support we have received from corporate sponsors and the amazing individual sponsorship that has been pledged.
We spoke about the unbelievable response we have had and that our Team Tonia runners now total nearly 70!!!  This number has left me feeling totally overwhelmed and humbled by the massive support Team Tonia is getting.

We know that we are all running to remember/celebrate different people and that what motivates me may be different to what motivates someone else but the reason for us all getting out there is the same. We want to raise enough money to put a dent in the massive cost of research/drug trials/cures for Cancer Research UK and we want to remember or celebrate those people who have been challenged by cancer.

When we were growing up, the actress Joyce Grenfell played quite a big part in our lives....we would listen to her monologues on tapes (!) and watch her on television...her most memorable sketch was as a nursery school teacher "George...Don't do that..." (It's worth a listen.....You Tube - Nursery School (going home) - Joyce Grenfell).
She also famously penned the poem below which I think sums up what Team Tonia is doing.

Thank you everyone - you're all amazing x

If I should die before the rest of you,
Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone.
Nor, when I'm gone, speak in a Sunday voice,
But be the usual selves that I have known.
Weep if you must,
Parting is hell.
But life goes on,
So........ sing as well.

Joyce Grenfell, actress and writer (1910 - 1979)

A Personal Message from Nell McAndrew

I must admit to feeling just a little bit inspired and motivated whilst watching the London Marathon a couple of weeks ago, no more so than when I saw Nell McAndrew cross the finish line as the first celebrity home.  Not only did the model improve her personal best by 14 minutes, but she smashed the three hour barrier to finish in a time of two hours and 54 minutes.

While Nell has always been sporty, she only took up running in her thirties, with her motivation to raise money for charity as well as get fit.  Nell has now competed in six marathons to raise money for Cancer Research UK after her father successfully fought non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Being a celebrity fundraiser for Cancer Research UK, and an ardent supporter of the Race for Life events, Nell was intrigued to hear about Team Tonia!  She sent us the following message:

“I want to wish you the very best of luck! Well done on setting yourself a challenge to raise money for such a worthy cause...... It’s such an amazing event, so many people running for someone special to you” 

Now I'm not suggesting that after completing our Race for Life events we'll be signing up for the London Marathon and aiming to run sub-3 hour times, but you never know....Nell has shown that starting running in your thirties can lead to great things.  Anyone fancy the Great South Run?!

Kate, 3rd May 2012


You can read more about Nell's training regime, juggling running and childcare, and her enthusiasm for local park runs by following this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2136006/How-Nell-McAndrew-went-amateur-jogger-talented-marathon-runner.html