Foundations Newsletter

By Shawn McRae

Over the years, my bucket list, rather than growing shorter, has grown increasingly longer as I have added things that I would like to do, places I would like to visit, and things that I would like to accomplish, both personally and professionally. Since moving to Dubai, I have gotten back into running, which has pushed me to strive for things that I never thought were possible. For instance, I have never been a morning person. I am not one of those chipper, early bird catches the worm, people who wake with the sun. Yet most Friday mornings since my arrival in Dubai, I find myself getting up even earlier than I do during the work week. Off goes the alarm at 4:45am, and much like a zombie, I rise and maneuver into my running clothes, as my eyes slowly adjust. Then my day quickly speeds up. My long runs can cover anywhere between 15 and 32km, and I generally run around the city with the Dubai Creek Striders or an hour outside of the city with the Dubai Trail Runners. Waking up early on the weekends is a sacrifice, but it means I continue to push my limits as a runner.

In a few days’ time, I hope to tick a major goal off of my bucket list: the London Marathon on April 26. As any marathon runner will tell you, London, Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York, are the Big Six. However, the chances of getting into them are quite difficult. According to Peter Lewis, Chief Executive of the Institute of Fundraising for the London Marathon, the ballot for this year’s marathon closed in just under ten hours, beating the previous record by 1 hour and 47 minutes with over 125,000 runners accepted. This means that the chances of getting into the marathon are close to 1 in 6 as there are only 10,000 places available! Year after year thousands of people apply as soon as the ballot opens without success, yet when I applied for the very first time this past year, I was lucky enough to get in. It’s not all bad news, however, as runners who were unable to get into the ballot have other options, such as charity entry, overseas entry, good for age entry, British Athletics club entry, championship entry, and wheelchair entry.

For those aware of my previous running endeavors and my participation in the 7 Emirates Run, you will not find it surprising that I am also excited about participating in the marathon as I will be raising money for the official charity, Cancer Research UK. The money raised will help build the Francis Crick Institute, a pioneering research center that treats, diagnoses and prevents illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. This is a cause that is especially close to me as several members of my family, as well as friends, have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer over the years. It makes those early morning practice runs worth it.

If you would like to support my participation in the London Marathon and make sure I keep missing those long slumbers, please free to donate at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/shawn-mcrae-VMLM2015-66802

PS: Shawn completed the London Marathon with a time of 4:35:19.  She has also been accepted into the lottery for the Chicago marathon on October 11, 2015, which will be Big Six #2 out of 6 for her.