Suzy's Endure24 Challenge: 35 Miles for Alzheimer's Research UK
I'm Suzy, part of the Cherry Grove Craft team - and I've just completed Endure24 Leeds, an 8km lap course you tackle as many times as you can inside 24 hours, finishing with seven laps and 35 miles in support of Alzheimer's Research UK. I went in aiming for one
A Sporty Bunch
Creativity and craft are our obvious passions, but underneath that we're a sportier team than you'd expect. Pete's into sailing and climbing. Ruby is a sailing and outdoor instructor. Pippa's doing well with her football. As for me, I'm an ex-Redcoat and I've always loved any fitness class with a dance routine, and since the local parkruns near us have grown, I've properly found a love for running and walking too.
Why Fundraising, Why Now
In previous roles I was lucky enough to take part in some brilliant fundraising challenges for charities like Shelter, Shelter Cymru, the NSPCC, Mind, and the National Autistic Society. Not every employer makes room for that, and I think that's a real shame - working towards something together for a good cause, and supporting each other through it, is exactly the kind of thing that builds a strong team. And a strong team is a good start towards meeting those business goals. There's a practical side too, with some branded merchandise along the way, it's a chance to talk about what we do and how we make sustainable signage - genuinely win-win. So when Cherry Grove Craft started looking into fundraising, I put my hand up straight away. A run was always going to be top of the list.
Finding a Challenge That Could Flex With Me
I live with rheumatoid arthritis, and I can't always guarantee I'll be able to train, or even walk, from one day to the next. I needed something that would work if I was fit and well, but that I could still take part in even mid-flare. Endure24 turned out to be exactly that - one lap in 24 hours is still a finish, flare or no flare. We picked the Leeds event as the closest to home, and Alzheimer's Research UK as our charity, to support the friends we know who've experienced that disease firsthand, by funding the research to understand, prevent, and eventually treat it.
A Festival Before the Race
We arrived on the Friday night before the race started, and the atmosphere at Bramham Park already felt more like a festival than a start line. Flags everywhere, music drifting across the campsite, people setting up for the full 24 hours ahead, it set the tone for the whole weekend, this was always going to be as much about the atmosphere as the miles.
A Party on the Path
The marshalls and support along the route were amazing. My favourite had to be the music van just after 2k, they kept changing the music along with their outfits and the sign on the van. It was exactly the the kind of fun to keep you motivated along the way.
Lights Through the Trees
The night laps were something else entirely. Long stretches of the course through Bramham Park's woodland were strung with coloured lights - string lights looping between the trees, glowing markers along the path, ribbons of colour catching in your head torch as you ran.
Seven Laps, Not One
In the months before the event I'd had a rough run with my RA, so I went in aiming for a single lap and calling that a win. Somehow, once I got there, the flare had eased — whether it ran its course, the adrenaline, or just the atmosphere at the finish line, I don't know and I don't much care. I came away with seven laps and 35 miles. And I'll be honest, I do love a medal, and the Endure24 Threshold medal did not disappoint. Heavy, detailed, genuinely something to be proud of holding at the end of a very long day. Without my family behind me, and without Cherry Grove Craft, I never would have believed I could do that.
What It Means For Us
It's made me think about Cherry Grove Craft itself. This business started as a "wouldn't it be cool if…" idea. It's where it is today because once you set a goal, make a plan to get there, and dig deep when it's hard, even when it feels impossible, you can achieve great things. Turns out that's true of a 24-hour lap course, too.
If you'd like to support the fundraiser, every donation goes directly to Alzheimer's Research UK: Sponsor Suzy's Endure24 challenge.
Also see: we clearly can't resist a bit of friendly competition ourselves — browse our wooden medals, trophies and rosettes, made the same way as everything else in the workshop: to order, in North Wales.