Tremendous effort by Qatar Eight for Racing Welfare at London Marathon
He was part of a team of eight runners who represented Qatar Racing and tackled the 26.2 mile course to raise money for the charity Racing Welfare. All eight completed the course, and in doing so have raised tens of thousands of pounds that will provide support for staff from the racing and breeding industries who are in need.
First home among the Qatar Eight (seen above on their way to the start) was David Redvers, Sheikh Fahad's bloodstock and racing manager, in a time of 3hrs 15.05 sec. A hectic travel and work schedule in the last fortnight that included trips to Dubai and Australia may have denied Redvers the chance to crack three hours.
The other six runners were all racehorse trainers - first among them over the line was David Simcock in 4hrs 10.05 sec. Quoted by Ladbrokes before the race at 5/1, co-fourth favourite of the six to be the first trainer to finish, Simcock's time was achieved despite him having to locate a pair of running shoes on the morning of the race after his two-year-old son had removed them from his kit bag the night before.
Next in was Andrew Balding in a very respectable time of 4hrs 19.31 sec, closely followed byRobert Cowell in 4hrs 36.32 sec. Although Cowell is best known for his handling of sprinters, he himself clearly stays further than five furlongs. The next two in were Charlie Hills and Olly Stevens. Charlie recorded a time of 4hrs 55.58 sec while Olly just failed to crack the five hour barrier, coming home in 5hrs 04.50 sec.
Completing the octet were Richard Hannon and Sheikh Fahad (seen next to each other to the left of the picture above). Hannon completed in 6hrs 48.22 sec and Sheikh Fahad crossed the line in 7hrs 14.57 sec.
After finishing, Sheikh Fahad said: "That is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am exhausted but I am also elated and very proud of all the team. But never again."
Lesley Graham, Chief Executive of Racing Welfare said: "This was an amazing effort and the support of Sheikh Fahad and his team will make a huge difference to the level of service we can offer. I'm sure that our beneficiaries join me in expressing heart-felt thanks and congratulations on a fantastic performance."
You can still contribute money to the entire team or individual members by going tohttp://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Qatarracingteam