Krofti: Time for the world to know just how special he is..

Krofti, always there, yet not.... Kroi and Kez attract all the attention as Krofti quietly does what he does best....

Many know him as the one that “sings” at the start of parkrun; the one that doesn't “race”; the one that likes his cuddles; the one that quietly sits in the background....

I know him well, and for way too long, I have taken him for granted....

Krofti is nearly 11 years of age. He has experienced a lifetime of good, bad, and ugly... I have shared this lifetime with him....

Krofti was Kai's grandson, his father was Kade's brother.

In his life to date he has won numerous showing awards, raced in many countries and pulled rigs, dog sleds, bikes and humans. He has been filmed by the BBC, Sky news, Eurosport and a Belgium TV company that I cannot remember the name of....

He has run with horses, played with cats and pet rabbits (our only husky that accepts cats and French Lop rabbits). He even befriended a miniature goat that used to live with my pony.

Anyway, in summary, if you want a reliable dog, that will do all that is asked of him, you call on the services of Krofti........

I have been honoured with the most amazing task, of carrying the Olympic Flame as part of the Torch Relay. I was originally nominated to do this with Kobi....

Kobi no longer lives amongst us, I hear his name and I remember why. Deep sadness will remain forever and a day, but life must go on. I will carry the Olympic Flame in Kobi's honour, and I will carry it with one of his "pack" by my side.

If I run with Kroi, and at his preferred pace, the Olympic Flame would be in danger as we would fly down the road faster than the speed of light..;-)

If I run with Kez we would have to take a tour of the entire Jurassic Coast before he would happily stop and let the next person in the relay carry the Olympic Flame....

If I run with Krofti, he will do all that is asked, probably without even being asked. The one that is so often overlooked, and yet the one that will never let me down.

And so, for this very reason, when I carry the Olympic Flame on 12^th July, it will be Krotfi that will be by my side.

Krofti is a dog that has inspired many.... he runs with kids and adults alike. He makes them run when they would choose to walk....

Yesterday I practised with Krofti.... He turned his head and looked me in the eye each time I gave him a command. He may have asked me “why”, but he dutifully did all that I asked of him. 

Today he watched as I ran from side to side on the road, and then he followed my every step, I did not even have to say a word :-)))

At the moment Krofti is very sad, struggling with the loss of his best friend, I want to help him. I will help him. Together we will all carry the Olympic Flame, Krofti, Kobi and Kade - two in person, two in memory, and everyone else in my heart....

Day 9: Running the dream, living the nightmare

Finally, the day had arrived for me to realise another dream. To run the “Drovers” leg of WCR, starting in Builth Wells and climbing all the way to Drovers Arms. 10.8 miles of mostly ascent. A leg loved by many and feared by many. When supporting the team several years ago I fell in love with the idea of running this leg. The dream was further compounded when I ran up the same mountain, in 2011, that time off road, in the mud and with Kez. I remember standing at the summit, admiring the view tears flowing down my face as I told Kez that one day I would live the dream of running “Drovers”.....

I ignored the pre race warning signs related to pain in my ankle and in my knee, put them down to uncomfortable travel and sleeping arrangements the previous night (note to one's self, three huskies and two humans do not fit well on a bed!!). Also too much time on my feet in the preceding days and not enough rest, but nothing to really worry about......

Mile 1 - oops over compensating as a runner cut in front of me, I felt my knee and outside of my left leg straining to protect the ankle.

Mile 2 – pain starts on the outside of my left calf, knee pain starts easing.

Mile 3 – further pain on outside of my calf, all down my left leg now feeling uncomfortable. Knee pain gone.

Mile 4 – time to start complaining to supporters. Somehow wishing that they would be able to offer a miracle cure.

Mile 5 – more complaining and the offer of a lift.... stupidly I refused and thought that it was a good idea to continue. Shortly afterwards I started feeling discomfort directly within my ankle joint.

Mile 6 – finally got to see Ian and the huskies. He offered me some drinks. I offered him some words of complaint as I came to a standstill. I think I was hoping that I would suddenly be needed to deal with a dog situation and therefore it would not be possible for me to continue running, priorities and all... Sadly the dogs just looked at me as if to say “well go on then, do you not have a job to do..?”

Mile 7, 8 – the tears came free flowing as the pain became stronger within my ankle. As the ascent got steeper, I was unable to flex my ankle in the way that one needs to when running up a hill, mostly this was due to the restrictions of the ankle brace that I had chosen to wear.

7 years in denial, years of pain and frustration, I was finally ready to admit that I am indeed a cripple. I should have listened to that Doctor and paid heed to his words. He was right, I am a cripple, I cannot go through a day without pain in my ankle. Yes I can run, but every day I limp, not normally when I am running, it is usually when I first stand up, when I walk down stairs or if I drive a non automatic car. Sometimes it just hurts as I rest. Why pretend I am something that I am not.

Ian and all the WADAC supporters were brilliant, offering me words of support as I trundled on. I refused to stop and I refused to walk. I tried to admire the view as I ran further up the mountain road, sadly I saw the view, but could not feel its beauty, my mind so overcome with negativity.

Ian suggested that I took off the ankle brace. I ignored him. I didn't want to stop for fear of collapsing as my brain was a little foggy from my focussed concentration and the drugs (all legal in case you wondered).

One mile to go – I saw the sign that told me so, located right at the point where the ascent suddenly became a descent. And it was at precisely this point that the ankle collapsed. The good news was that the knee, calf and thigh pain completely disappeared, meaning that all I had to do was lock my ankle joint and use my right leg to do all the work as my left leg limped, merely following through on the running motion that I tried to impose on it, no power, just stability as I did not think I could manage to hop the rest of the way to the finish!!

At the finish I sort of threw myself to the ground, more in relief rather than fainting or anything more serious. The concentration required to run in considerable pain places a lot of stress on the mind and the best way to switch it off is just to drop to the ground and relax.

Thanks to everyone for their support during and after the race. Jen in particular for her comforting hug and words of support.

Tomorrow is a new day and there is more that I can try to manage my pain and my mind, no need to give up yet. After all, I do have a reputation to maintain.....;-)

(Photo courtesy of Michaela McCallum)

Day 8: Welsh Castles Relay – Caernarfon to Newtown

A day of supporting all the Welsh Castle relay runners, well that and dodging the rain and floods! A very wet morning caused chaos with roads flooded, landslides and runners trapped in their homes. I received a phone call from my parents back home in Scotland. They were watching the news telling them how bad the situation was in Wales. People being airlifted to safety from flooded camp-sites, lifeboat people needing outside assistance.... It sounded awful and we were right in the middle of it all. Thankfully we stayed clear of the worst areas and managed to dry out a little in between the downpours.

The weather finally improved in the afternoon and we were able to dry out fully. We warmed up, just in time for an emergency call up to the team for Ian. One of the runners had pulled out at the last minute leaving a gap in the team. A little bit of careful arranging from the WADAC team management of Ian and Michaela, and Ian was all set to run the final leg of the day – a mountain stage and the longest leg in the entire race! Less than ideal for Ian in his current situation, but always the team player, he was not going to let anyone down.

Fair to say that Ian totally put his heart and soul into running his leg wearing his beloved WADAC vest. It was a delight to see him running again, but I know only to well how hard it was for him, especially as he ran the same leg so well, only two years ago. I was so proud of him.

By the time we got to the camp-site and sorted our sleeping accommodation for the evening (a van full of two humans and three huskies), most of the food on the barbecue was either cold, or gone! We manage to scrape together a meal, although we were all too exhausted to actually eat it.

By now word had also gotten around about the little puppy that had gotten his nose bitten off yesterday.....

Anyway we ended up having a lovely evening with fellow WADAC members, and the huskies were exceptionally well behaved, loving the attention but completely chilled and laid back about it.

(Photo courtesy of tzruns)

Day 7: The journey to Wales

Welsh Castles Relay Weekend....

Thanks to the kind generosity of some wonderful friends, Bryony and Pete, we had the loan of a converted van for the weekend. A weekend of luxury sleeping in a “proper” bed and not having the hassle of tent assembly and disassembly....

We were a lot later leaving home than we had hoped for, courtesy of me working in the morning. By the time we hit the road we were destined to hit Friday rush hour traffic. And we did....

By the time we made the decision to come off the M5 and head across country to Wales, we had come to realise that the dogs were extremely stressed in the back of the van. They have never travelled in a van before and were not happy about the arrangement that we had made for them. They could not see out of any window and they unable to reach the front of the vehicle and unable to make contact with us.

We decided to stop in a little village to take the dogs for a relaxing walk to destress....

We found a lovely little footpath beside a church, heading into a lovely grassy meadow. Off we strolled, minding our own business as the birds sang in the trees and little baby bunnies bounced along the grass....

We could hear an agitated dog on the other side of the fence as Kroi walked close beside the fence. Suddenly a nose and muzzle appeared through a hole in the fence and grabbed at Kroi's face. I knew instantly that he had been bitten badly. Continuing to a safe distance away from the fence we tried to settle him and assess the damage. There were severe gauge marks across his nose, and it was bleeding heavily. If the aggressor had been able to get more of a grip, Kroi would probably have lost a section of his nose, thankfully it did not and the scarring will be minimal, as long as no infection sets in.

We then discovered that this dog (or dogs as there are several on the premises) have attacked before, badly biting other dogs and at least one person. We spoke with one of the “victims” who had a serious injury on her hand requiring stitches.

Needless to say, our little adventure cost us a lot of time and our ETA was now after 10pm. The weather was also horrendous as we travelled through North Wales. Spectacular waterfalls cascading down the mountains, rivers bursting their banks and flooding all around us. The wind buffeting the van from side to side as Ian struggled to keep us safely on the road. Camping in this weather was not a pleasant thought.

As luck would have it, we stopped to say hello to our friends Heidi, Russ and Jac in Llanberis, who own a pub and accommodation.  Gallt y Glyn, also has the most perfect bunkhouse, ideal for a visiting family of humans and huskies. Some beers and a catch up later and we all ended up having the best night's sleep in a very long while....

We are due to return to Gallt y Glyn in July for the International Mountain Festival race and another very special run that hundreds of children are participating in. Krofti is going to have so much fun with Jac and we are so excited about being part of such a very special event!!

(Photo courtesy of Ian J Berry - nose healing well :-) )

Day 4: Special parkrun day

A chance to run two parkruns in a day, Ian jumped at the opportunity and so the plan was set. Andover parkrun at 9:00, Newbury parkrun at 10:30. I was only going to run at Newbury as I wanted for the two brothers to have a good run out.

A new course record was achieved at Andover parkrun, first and second males racing all the way, a local runner versus a parkrun "tourist". The tourist won in a fabulous time of 16:11.

I felt that the tourist must be someone special, to see him run in they way that he did...  I introduced myself to him, to discover that his name was Richard Ward, winner of more parkruns than any other person. It was a bit like meeting a member of parkrun royalty, or so I thought......

The tourist was also planning on running at Newbury. The prospect of a fast run and the opportunity to have some other runners for the “boys” and I to run alongside had me a teensy bit excited.

Arriving at Newbury, Jon Errington offered to run with Krofti, which we thought a fabulous idea. So after a little practise session and learning the control commands, we all headed off to the start.

I had chosen to wear my GBR vest in tribute to Her Majesty and the Diamond Jubilee, I have never previously worn it in a parkrun event, and wanted to wear it with pride, run as if I was running for my country....

There was a little false start (over enthusiastic runners or people determined to beat the huskies...?), but once Kroi woke up we hit the front and headed off down the track. Hardly any commands need to be given to the boys as they both know the course, I only had to provide a little bit of encouragement to run wide of the loose dogs that were on the course. The first mile was very quick, clocking 4:36 on my Garmin, I fully expected the dogs (and I) to blow up and end up running the last mile very slowly, to be overtaken by at least two of the runners.

As we approached the halfway section, a herd of ponies, spooked by the runners came galloping towards us, Kez instantly alerted to potential “fun”. However, the cows blocking the course route definitely had Kroi's attention.... Slowing to an almost standstill, I was able to guide both of them safely between the fast approaching horses and the cows blocking the path. With the safety of all livestock ensured, we picked up the pace again, but both dogs were now jogging, initial enthusiasm waning. I let them jog for a short while, allowing me to recover a little from the very fast first half.

I fully expected to be overtaken at this point, but no runner came past and I made the decision to ask the dogs to pick up and run to the finish as quickly as I was capable of running...

They responded instantly, picked up the pace and we galloped to the finish in our best ever 5k time of 16:14. So proud of my boys, I waited at the finish for the first place male to finish and shake his hand. It was the winning tourist from Andover that finished just behind me, and sadly he refused to shake my hand. He made very negative comments directed at the huskies and appeared to be in a bit of a strop. I thought it would pass and walked after him to speak with him.

I never did get to speak to him and later learned that he was very rude to the volunteers and used very bad and abusive language in the presence of young children, so I guess he was in more of a strop than I realised.

This has upset me greatly as I know that he was upset as a direct result of something that I did. He was not happy about being beaten by someone running with dogs. parkrun is not a race, it is an all inclusive time trial event that anyone can run in. Dogs are welcome, as are families with buggies. We (the dogs and I) have run nearly 80 parkruns together and I know that we have brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people. But recently we have upset several people, when we finish in front of them, or achieved times that are classified as “course records”.

I know that it is not my fault, but I feel very responsible for what happened at Newbury parkrun on 5^th June. I do not ever want this to happen again, therefore I have seriously considered never running another parkrun again. I say this as I know that the boys and I are capable of even faster times and the faster we get, the more attention we attract. The vast majority of people are overwhelmingly supportive of what we do, unfortunately there are small number of people that will never accept it.

I hope that parkrun one day change the way that results are recorded, making it clear when people's times are “dog assisted”. I have asked parkrun organisers if there is a way for my results to be clearly identified as “assisted”, but unfortunately it cannot be done without considerable time and effort on their behalf. I will not change my club to “CaniX” or “Canicross” as my first claim club is, and always will be Winchester & District Athletics Club.

I have also asked Power of 10 to remove my parkrun results from my profile as I do not believe they should be listed amongst my “non assisted” race results.

In an ideal world, I find some fast runners to run with to really test the Huskies Running team, parkrun make it clear when people are “dog assisted” and then we can achieve a guilt free time that really will be exceptional......

Returning to Newbury.... brilliant to see Jon and Krofti finishing with such big smiles!  And to see Ian collect a double parkrun.... Plus catching up with all our friends and eating cake afterwards was very special indeed :-)

Anyway, we finished off an eventful day with a lovely meal in the company of Rachael and Mark, founding Race Directors of Newbury parkrun.

(photo courtesy of Paul Hammond)

Day 3: The Kent Roadrunner Marathon

The Kent Roadrunner Marathon was a resounding success, thanks to the phenomenal organising abilities of Ian J Berry. Attention to detail is something that he excels in. He promised a very special marathon, and he delivered a very special marathon.

I have never seen so many happy runners and glowing comments in praise of a race and its organisation. I have also never before lived with a Race Director and experience first hand exactly what is required to organise an event. I think if more people were aware of what actually goes on behind the scenes then they would think very differently about a great many things and perhaps not take each and every race that they do for granted.

I was given the honour of starting the race with my very special Union Jack Flag (the very one that ran the final mile with me in the 100K World Championships).  I had to move pretty fast to avoid being stampeded by the enthusiastic runners as they started the Kent Roadrunner Marathon!!

The winner of the race was Steve Gumbrill, running his first ever marathon.  Female winner was the wonderful Jen Salter, running a personal best time on the day.

The winning time of 2:48 was just outside the April winning time at the same venue of 2:44, achieved by Irish International ultra runner, Dan Doherty.

So many people spoke of achieving personal best times, including Traviss Willcox, Cameron Cumming, Heather McDonald-Hamilton, David Hegarty (my fellow 4:10 pace maker in New York Marathon), Helen James, Carolyn Hall, Matt Dunn and many more......  so good to see their proud smiling faces.

Without doubt, the most emotional part of the day was seeing Kobi on each and every lap.  In honour and as a tribute to him, Traviss had chosen to wear a t-shirt with his face upon it, my favourite picture of this special little dog.  We promised Kobi that one day he would run a marathon.  In life we were unable to fulfil this promise, thanks to Traviss we saw it happen and that itself offers some respite to the turmoil I currently live in.

The volunteers that we had on the day were exceptional. Smiling and so helpful, never complaining, just doing what needed doing. Ironically they enjoyed the event so much that many have already entered for next year, meaning we will need to find new volunteers! We have already received a large number of entries for the 2013 event, tribute indeed to the skills and ability of tzruns, AKA Ian J Berry!

The specially designed Huskies Running medals were very well received from people that know us and those that did not. Many people did not understand the connection between a marathon and Huskies Running and asked to be enlightened.... Several people ran the marathon just to earn a medal!

Being part of this marathon although very exhausting, was very special. Seeing all Ian's hard work come together on the day, was delightful. Always the perfectionist he is already planning changes to make the 2013 event even better.....

(Photo Copyright Sussex Sport Photography 2012)

Day 2: Fun and food

The day was mostly filled with last minute preparation for the KRR Marathon...

Ian Directed and packed the van with all the marathon “stuff”, as I prepared the food. I chopped up hundreds of Twixes, 9 Bars and I carefully packed Custard Creams into boxes. Lots of sandwiches made and little Jelly Babies carefully arranged in colour formation within more boxes – and NO, I do not have any form of OCD. No form of OCD whatsoever....

Counting 9Bars for the goody bags... Thanks to the the fabulous people at 9Bar, every runner would have a little finishing present of a 9Bar, plus a few other little treats...

Food for runners and food for the supporters... Lots of food!!

Ian departed for Kent in the afternoon, and I stayed home to take care of "the boys".

The evening was filled with more food, this time eating it, and spending quality time with two very good friends.

We also received some good news on Sunday We have been accepted as foster “parents” for Siberian Huskies, therefore we will probably be having many husky guests to stay.

Temporary “Huskies Running" pack members will soon be playing and run with our pack until they find their forever homes.

If anyone is looking for a new doggy running partner please let us know and we can put you in touch with the right people to start the adoption process....

Day 1: Saturday

Day 1: Saturday Morning

A return to Basingstoke parkrun after a very long absence. A chance to see old friends and make some new ones and to run on the Crabtree course.....

Ian ran with Krofti, I ran with the two brothers. It was Kroi's first proper run at Basingstoke, our previous visits having been when he was too little to run more that a jog....

Our first lap went very well and we flew round without any problems, staying clear of all runners and loose dog obstacles. Stopping for a drink at half way, we struggled to get back into any rhythm on the second lap, but we still had fun running round to the finish. I do like the Crabtree course as the option of grass all the way suits the huskies better that trail, tarmac mix found on many courses.

Ian also had a very good run with Krofti, big smiles were had by all. Krofti liking a new course and then all the extra special attention that he received after his run!

We also got to meet one of the Race Directors, Bob Fudge from Frimley Lodge, who happens to be married to Paula Fudge and both were visiting Basingstoke for the parkrun. It was very special finally meeting Paula, someone that I have admired for a very long time. It was also very interesting hearing her speak of the marathon training that she used to do each week, and how it compares to the marathon training of elite runners in 2012.

Day 1: Saturday Evening

Egdon Easy 10k. We decided to participate in this race in Weymouth as it is very close to the village where Kez and I will carry the Olympic Torch in July. This race provided the perfect opportunity to visit the area and have a run with the locals and catch up with some friends from work. Special permission was acquired beforehand to run the race with Kez.

Our pre race fears of the weather being too hot for a husky were soon laid to rest. Heavy rain and winds ensured that there would be no over heating, and also reminded us of how one should pack for a run in the UK. Fortunately I did have a pair of arm warmers, but no waterproof jacket was a slightly embarrassing omission from the kit bag. Ever the optimist, the sunglasses remained on my head....

Plan was to run the race comfortably, using it as a bonding session for Kez and I – poor boy has been “out of sorts” recently with the loss of Kade and all the stress that the pack has endured in the past few months.

Plan was achieved, we had a really fun run, Kez remaining in front of me at all times, but not assisting (apart from the first and last 200 metres of the run, when I asked him to pick up the pace). He really is an amazing dog and completely in tune with what I need from him. He sets the pace by running in front of me, allowing me to concentrate on following him and not getting distracted by the other runners being so close to me (I am a very claustrophobic runner). He never impedes another runner, and will go out of his away to avoid being too close to another person. He will also immediately run by my side if I ask him too.

Unfortunately...... I finished as first female, which caused a “situation”.

I personally always respect and accept the decision of a Race Director as to whether they offer me a prize or not when I am running with a dog. The Race Director, other officials and second placed lady all wanted me to take the first prize trophy. However one man (whom I beat...) was in a little bit of a strop about me running with a dog, therefore as a result I declined the prize. Sadly this upset the second placed lady and also a family that had waited until the end solely to see Kez and I be awarded the prize. This family had watched the race from various vantage points and loved the fact that Kez was jogging along having such a fabulous time with me.

It was very interesting hearing people discuss me (when they did not realise the “dog runner” was standing beside them) most were “for” with only one “against”. Very interesting perspectives and I was so tempted to tell (the man that I beat) exactly what time I would have run had I actually been assisted by Kez!

(Fabulous photography courtesy of Katie Jarzyna)

The week that was...

The week had started so well...

A lovely long weekend, courtesy of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations provided a perfect opportunity for a plethora of running, fun and socialising...

A long awaited return to Basingstoke parkrun on Saturday morning.

A fun 10k event in Weymouth on Saturday evening.
The inaugural Kent RoadRunner Marathon on Monday.
Two parkrun events on Tuesday.

Plus lots of catching up with friends..

Then rest a few days before heading of to Wales to participate in the Welsh Castles Relay, and to finally run the leg of my dream..... Builth Wells to Drovers Arms.

A very exciting and fun filled diary, with just a little bit of stress thrown in to keep us on our toes!

The reality was that the week ended with me contemplating a future with the huskies and I never again running a parkrun event.

It also ended with me finally accepting that I am “a cripple”, the very one that 7 years ago the doctor spoke of as he described my future life.

The story of this week, from start to end, does indeed make for some interesting reading.....