Hi! My name is Trish Train. Can I firstly thank you for taking the time to visit my page. I am attempting to raise funding to send me on a chance in a lifetime trip to the Island Games 2017 in Gotland. These games happen biannually and receive no public funding or government sponsorship. All competitors are self funded. I can’t tell you how proud and honoured I am to have been offered one of only two places in the Ladies Athletics team to compete in the Half Marathon. So let me tell you a little a bit about me, my story and how I came to be offered this coveted place on the Isle of Wight team.

I was born in 1966, (Yes! You read that right! I am 50!) and have always lived on the beautiful Isle of Wight. I was a heavy smoker all the way through my 20s and 30s. I only quit 8 years ago, and was generally very unfit. I was a busy single mum to my wonderful son, Matthew.  I never had the time or inclination to excercise. But as Matthew got older, my sister suggested that I accompany her to Parkrun. I huffed and puffed my way around the 5k course and swore “never again” . That was in 2012. I persevered and my fitness gradually improved. A year or so later I plucked up the courage to join my local club – Isle of Wight Road Runners. They really helped me to take my running further, competing in the Hampshire League races. Over the next theee years, as all runners find, my running had peaks and troughs, injuries and frustrations.

2015 was the real turning point for me. I left my sit down job in a super market and I took a job with Royal Mail as a Postlady. The daily hilly walk on my round has increased my strength and my running, as a result, has reached a level that I never imagined possible. I have been achieving faster and faster times across all distances from 5k to marathon. So much so that I was invited to train with renown coach Geoff Watkin. Under his pupillage and new training regime, I have gone on to further improve. My highlights so far are winning the local Brading 10k, placing 1st in my highly competitive age catagory in the 2016 Hampshire Road Race League, being ranked 32nd/15600 in the U.K. in the V50 category and of course being given the news in December that I had run a qualifying time for the Island Games in the Gosport Half Marathon and that I was being offered a place on the Isle of Wight team.

I will now be spending the next 6 months, (under Geoff’s watchful eye of course!), dedicating myself to a programme of sustained hard training, pushing myself to go faster and faster. Realistically this means hours of running alone, rain or shine, sacrificing time with my family and friends. But I am really enjoying the challenge. I cannot believe at 50 years of age and after only 4 1/2 years of running, I have been given this amazing chance to compete Internationally.

As I mentioned earlier, the Island Games receives no funding. I must therefore fund my own place on the team. This where you guys come in….. if any of you feel inspired by my running journey and feel that would like to help me fund this chance of a lifetime, I would be so appreciative and grateful. I pledge that your donation and your faith in me will mirrored in my effort, determination, dedication and performance. Please help if you can, to make this a race that will make my family, my coach, my club and my whole Island proud.

Thank you xxxxx

Trish xxxx