A race to remember
Published:Wednesday | July 18, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Alessandro Boyd, Gleaner Writer
THE EXPRESSION on Alan Beckford's face on Sunday far exceeded a thousand words as he was being fed through a drip on the grounds of the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Atrium in New Kingston.
Beckford had just completed a 147-mile ultra marathon in three days. He started at the bank's Negril branch on Friday and finished at the Atrium in Kingston, on Sunday about 12:30 p.m.
Throughout the run Alan's diet consisted of energy bars, bananas and energy drinks, among other things. However, that did not prevent him from feeling dehydrated.
MIXED EMOTIONS
"I'm not feeling well at the moment, after these events you tend to feel woozy, almost like you're going to faint or pass out. My legs are currently elevated to bring my blood pressure back up, because it tends to get too low during these marathons and that's why people pass out sometimes," Beckford told The Gleaner.
"I'm also feeling very good, because I have completed the event, there is a certain sense of achievement as the foundation also seems to have achieved what I wanted them to get out of the event," he added.
The purpose of the marathon was to help raise awareness for the Angels of Love Jamaica (AOLJ) foundation. AOLJ is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing life-saving treatment, health, education and support services to children with physical, mental or emotional troubles. The organisation assists them financially in various ways, such as facilitating tests, scans and prescription drugs.
Beckford said that the journey was a tough one.
"The most difficult part was Spur Tree Hill. I told people that I thought they made up some new corners just for me when I was going up the hill. I've driven that hill hundreds of times, but I did not realise how steep the hill was until I had to run up. I also went after I completed around 70 miles, so I wasn't fresh. I'm pleased with the fact that I got to fully experience Jamaica's beauty, however, when you run, you actually see things that you don't when you are driving." Beckford said.
Beckford intends on making the marathon a corporate event next year.
"People would do the marathon in the form of a relay with different teams, we would break up the legs and call it a cross country race, it could do something special for Jamaica and develop our tourism," he added.