The first thing I have to say is ‘We did it!’ The Great Ormond Street Race on Saturday 12^th October 2019 wasn’t just a personal achievement for me but also my team members around me as well. This was the first ever race organised within Rebecca Cheetham and I am proud to say it was a great idea and I have the most amazing team who helped make it all happen. Who knew taking part in this one race could mean so much to myself and others around me?

Looking down at my trainers on Saturday morning I had a very strange/nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach; I felt like I wouldn’t be able to do it. I thought to myself, what if I have to stop jogging and slow everyone up? I had just got back from a week away in Spain with my partner the night before the race with a horrible cough in tow. Also coming from beautiful sunshine to pouring rain was playing havoc with my asthma. I really thought Saturday morning I would have to tell the rest of the ‘Cheetham Cheetah’s’ that I wouldn’t make the race and this made me doubt myself and all the hard work we had put into doing this race!

I said to myself I would regret it and spoke to my partner and he said he would be there waiting for me at the finish line. He said I needed to do this for myself, the team and the amazing charity, Great Ormond Street. I got out of the house and made my way to meet the rest of the Cheetham Cheetah’s. Once I saw them outside Knightsbridge tube station I knew then I had made the right decision; everyone was so happy to see me, the atmosphere was electric at the station with hundreds of people coming out with their t-shirts on, it made me feel warm inside!

For me the race was hard at first to say the least! The first 2k was the worst part, my ankles and legs were becoming stiff and I did not want to carry on, I did have to slow down but my team stayed with me! I am so grateful because they believed in me and I believed in them.

While walking/jogging through Hyde Park the other racers and the volunteer staff were giving us those crucial high 5’s and pep talks and this really pushed us to carry on. We all bounced off each other and the atmosphere was amazing, even more so once we had crossed the finish line! My partner stuck to his word, as I saw the finish line in front of me, he was there to the left of me waiting behind the barrier. He said how proud he was, gave me a kiss on the cheek and I sped up and raised my arms up as I crossed that all important finish line!

All the feelings of self-doubt, physical pain, coldness, dampness etc they flew away when I crossed that finish line. The build up to the race had made all the difference; we had donations coming from everywhere. We had a bake sale at work and I had people sharing our page through social media. We had all put so much effort in to making sure we got to the end and we are all so proud of one another.

This experience has not only made me realise that I need to become healthier again but also how much I would want to take part in something like this again in the future! The evening after the race I was looking on the Great Ormond Street hospital website on the volunteering page, reading all the information I am thinking of going into some volunteering work either at GOSH or another charity. Also I am so honoured to have been part of the team I had with me on Saturday and they are also very keen to take part in something similar as well in the future. We want to make a difference in someone else’s life, not just our own.

Danielle Armsby

Early Years Practitioner BSIL