Over the last couple of months, a few of our amazing supporters have taken on extraordinary challenges to raise nearly £3,000 for Open Arms Malawi!
Here's the story of some incredible people who have quite literally gone the extra mile for vulnerable children in Malawi.
In September, George Watson's College alumnus Adam Rae took it upon himself to complete the Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace - a 29km / 2,500m mountain race, involving scrambling along mountain ridges with steep ascents, traverses and descents on technical and challenging terrain. And all in support of Open Arms!
We asked Adam why he chose to challenge himself in this way:
What inspired you to take on this particular challenge?
"I fancied something different from the usual road running races and this was definitely the something different - it was 29km of trail running in the Scottish highlands including 2,500m of climbing."
How did you train for it?
"We’re lucky up in Edinburgh that we have the Pentland Hills and Arthurs Seat that are the perfect places to get some practice in."
How did you find the whole experience?
"It was harder than expected. It was far steeper - both the climbing and the downhill. I was relieved just to survive injury free!"
Why did you choose to fundraise for Open Arms?
"It's something that’s very close to family and also nice to contribute towards the Watson Malawi Partnership. I find the stories that the fundraising goes towards inspiring and great to make a difference."
What were the hardest/best moments?
"Going down after the third Munro (a mountain at least 3000ft/914m high) and knowing there was one more to climb whilst the legs were starting to fail..."
Is there another challenge you’d like to conquer next?
"Excellent question, nothing booked at the moment but potentially another trail run next year or hopefully the London marathon one day!"
Adam raised an incredible £840 for Open Arms. Amazing effort Adam and thank you to all who donated!
Also in September, five incredible woman took on half marathons in aid of Open Arms.
Florence (pictured above) ran The Big Half in London - inspired to support Open Arms after volunteering at the Infant Homes a few years ago and Annie, Sarah, Claire and long time supporter Bev all took part in the Great North Run.
Between them, they raised over £2,000!
We know squeezing in training on top of your busy lives is anything but easy - not to mention fundraising as well! We are so inspired and grateful by the lengths you all went to to make a difference in the lives of the children at Open Arms.
Bev not only took on the challenge of training for and competing in the Great North Run, but she went to the trouble of crocheting a beautiful blanket and baking cupcakes to offer as a prize for anyone who bought a raffle ticket - with all proceeds from the raffle going to Open Arms. Great idea Bev and what a multi-talented person you are!
Your donation will help children in Malawi grow up healthy with the love of a family
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