TOGETHER FOR CINEMA

MARATHON MAN

EI presents an account of the massive effort by Chris Pinder, MD of HDANYWHERE and OneAV, to raise money for Together For Cinema by taking part in the Marathon Des Sables.

The Marathon Des Sables (MDS) event consists of a gruelling equivalent of six marathons in six days in the Sahara Desert in heat up to 50°C.

Chris explains, “Thank you for reading this article and thanks for letting this challenge capture your attention. That’s exactly the reason why I chose MDS. I felt it was eyebrow-raising enough to get noticed and entice people to donate. And it worked! It worked so well that we exceeded the target to pretty much double!

“I received so much support and encouragement from the industry. I’m super grateful to everyone that followed my journey. Thanks to those who liked social media posts and sent supportive comments. Eventually I got to read them all after 10-days without tech in the desert and it was wonderful.”

Chris adds, “As for the race itself, well, it was way harder than I expected. I lost 6kg in six-days. It’s hard to describe just what it’s like succinctly but I’ll try. You feel like you’ve been taken captive and sent to a French-run prisoner of war camp on mars. You have no worldly possessions other than your running shoes and your rucksack. And you have to run every day to get your water and reach the next camp. This repeats for six days.

Chris continues, “You think you’ve trained well for it until you realise the terrain is softer than any beach you’ve ran on and your rucksack brutally digs into your shoulders. Every day is a relief when you reach the finish line. But the landscapes are epic, your tent mates and fellow race comrades are incredible people to share the experience with. And you can see all the stars and hundreds of satellites above you at night. Every day was different. We had sandstorms to contend with, blistering heat, blistered feet, all in all it was a full-on ordeal.

“I was so relieved to complete it that I burst into tears after giving it my all on the final race stage. Plus, I knew it was mission accomplished, we had raised the funds promised to Together For Cinema and I had managed to compete (rather than just complete) finishing 158 out of over 1000 race starters. I can’t put it all into words here, but I hope the race video documentary will be a great watch to anyone interested in learning more about my race. Anyone who has donated will be first to receive a link to the video!”

Chris completed the race in a time of 34 hours, 43 minutes and 29 seconds. So far the initiative has raised £30,528 for Together For Cinema (TFC).

COMMENT FROM TOGETHER FOR CINEMA

As Chris completed his literally marathon task, Ian Morrish founder of TFC, said, “Thank you Chris. My eyes filled with tears when I found out you had finished safe and sound, and my eyes are teary now whilst I write this. What you have achieved is incredible and a lesson and an inspiration to us all. Your determination to complete the course and raise a huge amount of money for a great cause has been amazing and I hold you in the very highest regard.

“By supporting Together For Cinema, you will make a difference to the lives of thousands of children and young adults over the coming years. Bringing the cinema experience into their safe place is a great gift and I thank you on behalf of all those that will never know what you have done to help them.”

Ian added, “It’s hard to explain in words how we all feel about what you have achieved, but I know that all of us at ‘Team Pinder’, and the hundreds of extended ‘Team Pinder’ members, supporters and donors, want to thank you for making a difference. ‘Do well’ your girls said, and you did well... Well done Daddy.”

There is still time to acknowledge what Chris achieved and help this great cause by donating at https://gofund.me/f0f59b6b.

Together For Cinema togetherforcinema.co.uk