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Ravens on the run!

Greetings and howdy doo! Achtung! Atencion! Hear this! We need supporters! The Sydney Half Marathon is the aim. And Ravens is the name reports Adrian Spry in the South Sydney Herald of April 2009…

Having established our running group about six months ago, we have set our sights quite high. A half marathon (21.1km) will be no small achievement, and yet we are determined to succeed. We’re training three to four days a week now. Sometimes we run from Waterloo to Randwick and back, or into Darling Harbour, or to Glebe and back (usually for about an hour each time).

This year, as a tribute to the four-time champion athlete who lost her battle with cancer in December, the Sydney Half Marathon is honouring Kerryn McCann by dedicating the race to her. The Ravens will put in for a worthy cause. So please help us raise money for breast cancer research (Breast Cancer Network Australia) – so many people are touched by this heartbreaker.

You can visit our fund-raising website to make a donation. We’re hoping to raise $1,000 (www.everydayhero.com.au/the_ravens). You can also follow our progress. Read about our encounters with famous footballers and yappy dogs, our training regimen “based on stupidity” and our “retro” approach to road running.

The name “Ravens” comes after watching large flocks of jet-black birdies coming to terms with life in the inner city. Beautiful Waterloo offers solace to these much-maligned creatures. My regular running partner Andrew Collis and I are also big fans of Edgar Allen Poe. His poetic work, ‘The Raven’, came readily to mind. Its theme of devotion leading to madness may well be apt! The prophet Elijah was fed by ravens in the wilderness – the point being … ravens are nice, really!

The 18th annual Sydney Half Marathon will be held on Sunday May 17. The race through the CBD starts at 7.30am in Hyde Park. The event is sponsored by the Sydney Morning Herald and presented by Colonial First State. Run, Ravens, run!

Photo: Ali Blogg - The Ravens: James, Adrian, Andrew and Leigh (inset)

Source: South Sydney Herald April 2009 www.southsydneyherald.com.au