24 Hour Thunder Run for Delacroix and the cats of Torre Argentina

2020 begins and so I decided to complete another special challenge for my wonderful cats in Rome!

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary means everything to me and has given me so much happiness in my life. I have so much to thank them for and the work they do is incredible.

This challenge is dedicated to all of the cats, all of my sons, Delacroix, Dreyfus, Rubio, Giotto, Mozart, Telesforo but I will be dedicating it especially to Delacroix and in fact my running name during the challenge is "Torre Argentina - Delacroix's Delight"

The challenge is to run for 24 hours on 18th July from 12 noon on the Saturday until 12 noon on Sunday 19th July. Yes, that does mean running through the night in the dark but that's what makes this challenge something which is completely outside my comfort zone.

This event is one which I have taken part in before as part of a team and also solo. The most I managed on my solo mission was 50km until a massive Thunderstorm came and there was lightning through the night plus rain. The course is all cross country and goes through many forested areas covering a total distance of 10km or 6.2 miles per lap. At the point the rain began followed by lightening I became rather concerned and scared so at that point stopped.

This time there will be, no stopping for me no matter the weather and my mission is to go on through the day and night until the final second ticks down. I have a target in mind of what I want to achieve so let the challenge begin and see if I can do it!!!

The course is a living nightmare... I cant make it sound anything other than that. Ladybower is a difficult and lonely course at times but this is something else. It is undulating, high in places, difficult underfoot and takes you through a maze of grass, trail, tree roots, stone, shale, mud and its not easy to navigate. However that is part of the challenge too!

The course is 10km loops and as a solo runner you do not have the luxury of passing your timing chip to anyone else, you just keep going and going and going..... the event is at a remote place called Catton Park and in the night there is no lighting and so runners have to use a head-torch. It can be pretty scary when your imagination is as wild as mine and especially when you watch things with Zombies in it.... maybe that will make me run faster! :)

So the training now starts and I will do all I can to be fit and ready for the amazing challenge and I will run and run and run and run to honor my sons and in the name of Delacroix.

For all the cats in Torre Argentina I will run for you.

I hope to raise as much money as possible to help you continue to live the wonderful life you do now, I hope to help raise enough to also contribute to the ongoing campaign of sterilisation to prevent further suffering and keep the feral cat population to a minimum, I hope to raise enough to help pay for some vet bills for those poor ones who are victims of living a life on the street and who did not ask for that life, I hope to raise enough to help provide medication for the sick ones in the care of TA, the ones who need daily medication to prolong their lives and allow them to enjoy their life while they can.

I will run with love in my heart for all the cats I love, the cats we all love and knowing that every single penny raised will make a difference to their life.

So thank you all for the support of TA and our cats, thank you for the amazing friendship and the belief you always show in me and I will not let you down. As they say in Rome... Forza!!!!!!

All my love Fiona, Delacroix, Dreyfus, Giotto, Mozart, Rubio and Telesforo xxxxxxxxx