Building peace. Piece by piece.

Hannah’s Story – Marriages and Marathons.

Peace Direct’s very own Truce 2020 Project Manager Hannah Pennock, not content with running a successful course of peacebuilding training in one of London’s most deprived boroughs, is taking on the challenge of running the Edinburgh Marathon to support Dishani’s peacebuilding work in Sri Lanka. Hannah picks up the story:

“Back in the Autumn I had the crazy idea that I would run a Marathon for Peace Direct and got a place on the Edinburgh Marathon for May 31st 2009. I remember thinking it was a long way away and enjoyed my Christmas wining and dining as usual, not thinking anything about starting the training for the mammoth 26 mile run. My first run was in the early January in cold Yorkshire where I remember feeling chuffed beyond measure at a 4 miler to a pub in Cropton…

Training has come on since then. Last weekend while camping in Rutland with my boyfriend, Richard, I managed 17 miles round the very beautiful lake (pictured left) in just less than two and a half hours. He cycled alongside and topped up my water bottle as we went.

I can’t say I looked the model of sophistication. I got rather a lot of affectionate/aren’t you crazy looks from walkers and cyclists but I did make it all the way round. Feeling a huge sense of achievement, and surprise that I’d made it, we sat down on the bench looking out onto the lake and glugged down copious amounts of squash. At that point at my sweatiest and reddest Richard added the second surprise of the day and asked me to marry him and I said yes!

So that’s a recollection of the most exciting day in Hannah’s Marathon training!! Next week it’s a half Marathon race. If you’d like to sponsor me on my Marathon mission for Peace Direct you can visit my just giving site here. I’m specifically raising money for the Young Visionaries project in Sri Lanka.”