In case anybody thinks that
I must be a lady of leisure because of all the training sessions I fit into my
life. They are very wrong and this morning my first chore was to finish a
manifest for the latest container of Antiques that we are working on gathering
in from shops all over England,
that is going to North Carolina USA. The truck is in Leek one day and will be
in Liverpool early next week, not to mention London and the Cotswolds as well as
collection in the South.
Having finished putting
three hundred items into the computer in an orderly fashion ready for shipment,
I attended to a few every day household jobs. When it came to cleaning the
fireplace and setting the fire ready to be lit, I realised that I did not have
any paper for the base although I did have kindling in the log box and
smokeless fuel in the coal scuttle ready to use.
It was then I thought once
more about the big box of newspaper and magazine cuttings that have gathered
over the triathlon years. I was recently talking to Steve about that pile of
newspaper and was threatening to start using them to start the evening fire off
with. Stephen was not pleased and told me to leave them as they were.
Why do we keep cuttings? We
never look at them and the place you keep them in gets into a bigger and bigger
mess as time goes by and so you put them in a box to keep them tidy. What ever
do celebrities do? Over the last month I have started to at least sort some of
them out, since there is no reason to keep a whole magazine because there is
one page about my triathlon antics. I have started with the articles that were
in the local paper, the Littlehampton Gazette, where I have even make the front
page a couple of times. The editorial staff on the local rag have got used to
putting bits about my shenanigans in the L.A news sheets; that is a local term;
we call the town L.A.
because that is how many people pronounce the name; Little’Ampton, the H gets
lost in the mist. I have just kept the page with the photo and article on and
used the rest of the paper for fire lighter.
They more or less expect me
now to let them know when I have done anything of note; World Championships
etc. and I started long ago sending in my own report and then leave it to them
to doctor it around at will.
I used to buy several copies
myself when I was still fortunate enough to have a couple of sponsors. Since a
sponsor wants keeping up to date with any photos in the press. My longest
lasting sponsor was Saucony who were most loyal and provided me with all my
running apparel and trainers for many years…..I think it might have been as
long a relationship as twenty years and their backing was hugely appreciated
but sadly, they were taken over by another company and only this winter they
decided that I had had enough of their support. However, I do have cupboards
full of running clobber and I am sure that it will see me out but whilst on the
subject I can say one last big thank you for sticking with me for such and
amazing amount of time.
Over years I have had a few
more product sponsors the earliest one was Reebok when I won the Vet category
in the Reebok Runners World Awards and I was thrilled with a few pairs of
trainers and a couple of outfits for racing in. Then followed De Soto for several seasons and Clinique sent
me the lines of products that I used also for a number of years. A
Littlehampton clothing manufacturer made some tights, running shorts and tops
up especially for me which was amazing. Snugg Wetsuits gave me a couple of
seasons support too. So all in all I have been more than lucky over the years.
Apart from the sports
equipment company’s, one of me most surprising sponsors was for me was Matol, a
herbal remedy company who took me to their heart and onto their team for
several years including funding an entire trip to the Ironman World
Championships in Hawaii. Everything you could think of; air fare, hotel
accommodation, meals, team racing clothing as well as a night at a luau.
I have been so lucky with my
trips to Hawaii because the first year I qualified to race in the Worlds there,
Ian Douglas Sweet who was with Eurosport then and is still a Facebook friend,
filmed the entire stay on the Big Island and became for me the most remarkable door
opener I had ever encountered. Ian managed to get me taken on all sorts of
trips: a submarine and a private flight to look at the bike course and a tour
of the chocolate factory, not to mention a pair of Zip wheels, Oakley
sunglasses and umpteen other treats like being introduced to everybody who was
somebody, all the stars of the sport new and old. I will never forget that time
as long as I live; Thanks a million Ian.
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