Featured Cancer Research Supporter of the Month

Today I received and email from Cancer Research UK's National Events Sport Team Co-ordinator informing me I had been selected as their featured supporter for the month of April 2010. This means I'm to get my own story featured on their national website.

Here's what I submitted in response to their questions;

#Basic bio

# Were you a regular runner before you started fundraising?

# What made you want to support Cancer Research UK?

# What races have you done and what have you got coming up?

# Fundraising - how much have you raised, how have you raised the money?

# What was the inspiration behind the t-shirt?

#Stand out moments

# Training and support - do you have any tips, what did you think about the support from Cancer Research UK?

#Basic bio:

Stephen Auker (twitter name is @nimblerunner)

Started running November 2006 (aged almost 50)

Covered 4000 miles. Including 2000 miles in 2009

# Were you a regular runner before you started fundraising?

It was after returning from a family holiday in Florida and playing back the video when I first saw myself 'how others' must have been seeing me.

I was almost 50 years old, hated exercise and went to great lengths to ridicule 'red faced runners' at the side of the road. So joining a gym was the furthest from my mind.

So whatever made me drive into town and sign up for a year and pay for 12 months membership upfront, I will never know. Except to say I needed to be committed. 

It was not all plain sailing because I was seriously lacking confidence thinking everyone was watching me. Which of course they were not. 

One day my trainer said 'tomorrow morning we are going for a run’. It was arranged we would go next morning at 6:30am under the cover of darkness. After 2 miles, my cover was blown as my friend (who was a postman) spotted me, tooted his horn, waved, and within days everyone in my street knew. 

To cut a long, difficult story short, this was when I discovered the love of running.

In the process of doing something I really enjoyed I LOST something, but I GAINED so much.

• I've lost loads of weight, 63lb in total.
• I've gained confidence and self-respect.
• I've gained a new lifestyle, which has increased my fitness and life expectancy.
• I've gained a new hobby and completed 4,000 miles in three years, with 2,000 miles just one year. (I made a video of the last mile http://bit.ly/806lgl)
• I've gained so many new running friends in the UK and worldwide, plus almost 2,000 followers on Twitter and travel to run with many of them.
• I've been asked to help with training by new runners and long distance marathon runners.

One of my proudest moments was possibly when Fitness First Gyms decided to recognise my hard work and nominated me from tens of thousands of other members to attend the national finals of the ‘Fitness First New You Awards 2007’ held in London. I came runner up nationwide from 1,280 other nominees. This in turn led to many interviews by BBC Radio Leeds, features in the Running Free magazine and a full page feature in the Runners World Magazine http://twitpic.com/1m34p/full

# What made you want to support Cancer Research UK?

Despite all the positive gains which came into my life as a result of running, there was still something missing - motivation to keep going.

The hardest part of any run is getting the first step out of the door. It's easier in summer, but what I needed was something, which would get me out of bed on the dark, cold winter morning at 5am

Because my wife lost both her parents to aggressive Cancer in recent years, and she too had a very close call, which resulted in her having a radical hysterectomy, we discussed the possibility of running for a good cause. So later in 2008 we decided I would run for Cancer Research UK.

# What races have you done and what have you got coming up?

FAR to many to mention (over 50 in 3 years), but needless to say there are several 'special events' that stick in my mind.

• My very first 10k race was in Blackpool on March 11th 2007
• My first half marathon was in Orlando, Florida.
• Dumfries & Galloway 10k being encourage by Scottish Pipers
• Bournemouth and Mablethorpe half marathons by the beaches in summer.
• My first Great North Run.
• The Kilomathon. The world’s first metric marathon. I met and ran with loads of friends from Twitter.

Races coming up:

• London 10,000 (Bupa)
• Orlando Florida Half Marathon (again)
• Planning my 3rd Rodley Fun Run for Cancer Research UK. Free BBQ, The best goodie bag ever. Win a gas BBQ by just completing the event.

To enter http://www.rodleyrun.co.uk/(September 12th)

# Fundraising - how much have you raised, how have you raised the money?

My fundraising is very unusual because I've never asked anyone to sponsor me. ALL my sponsorship has come from people or companies OFFERING to give me money.

For example; I entered the Kilomathon as a 'fun run' simply because it was the worlds first metric marathon. Before I knew what had happened, there were several of my Twitter friends, and their friends, who offered to sponsor me £1 each for every minute I ran faster than my predicted 'fun run' time. So the day before the event my plan was a nice easy run. The morning of the event, I had to create a strategy very quickly to run a personal best time over that distance. (They all coughed up the same day).

To date, I've now managed to raise more than £25,000 (including gift aid). Whilst I am grateful to every who has sponsored me, I am particularly grateful to my 3 corporate sponsors Castle Comfort Stairlifts, Crystal Hearing UK, and R-Tech Welding who each sponsored me to a minimum sum of £1,000 for wearing their company logo on my charity shirt, also now known as my Twitter Twibute shirt.

# What was the inspiration behind the t-shirt?

Not sure how the idea originally came to mind. But it has now developed into a 'twibute' shirt.

There are so many people world-wide who have lost loved ones to Cancer and I wanted to be able to 'honour' their memory by doing something simple. I was running anyway, so why not simply add names all over the shirt? Plus it provided a lasting tribute to them on my website http://www.twittertwibutes.co.uk/, see the example of the Great North Run here http://www.twittertwibutes.co.uk/charity-races/great-north-run-2009.htm

#Stand out moments

Obviously there are many. But possibly it was my first race back in my home town of Kings Lynn in Norfolk. I ran with the British legend 'Ron Hill' who was the first Britain to win the Boston Marathon in 1971- and beat him by 3 seconds!!  Plus I got my photo in the press to prove it. http://twitpic.com/1oka4

# Training and support - do you have any tips, what did you think about the support from Cancer Research UK?

• Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
• Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
• Running is simple, until you make it complicated.
• There are many types of runner. Don't enter a marathon just because people expect you to.
• Running is the most efficient path to cardiovascular fitness.
• Running increases your overall fitness, self-esteem and confidence. So GO DO IT
• Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape, so persevere.
• The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.
• Keep some toilet paper and a £1 in your pocket. One day you’ll need it.

For a running tip every single day. Follow me on Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/nimblerunner

The support I get FROM Cancer Research UK has been brilliant.

From supplying shirts for me to cheering me one just when I really need it on a long race.

If you want Cancer Research UK to support you. Make sure you put your name on the charity shirt and you'll get support every few miles.

My videos and blogs:

How to start running http://bit.ly/93jMZK

My running blog http://2010runs.blogspot.com/

My 2000th mile in 2009 http://bit.ly/806lgl

My 8 mile snow run http://bit.ly/d6Quz3

My BBC Radio Leeds interview http://bit.ly/b4UnsG

The Kilomathon http://bit.ly/9nfMyB

I went to London for a charity race and ended up on Ant n Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway http://bit.ly/nOQNu

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A RUNNER WHEN;

• you can use "easy" and 10 in the same sentence
• your shoes have more miles on them than your car does
• you find yourself saying, "it's not really a hill it's just an incline".
• you've ever relieved yourself in public and don't really care
• you have 10% body fat yet you stuff yourself with pasta
• you consider a 15 mile run a good cure for a hangover
• you don't mind hugging a sweaty girl or guy