TWO friends, Zoe Pepler and Rachel Humphries, together with their firefighter husbands, Danny and Ian, took part in the London MoonWalk on Saturday 14th May to raise money for the breast cancer charity, Walk The Walk.
The MoonWalk London raises funds to support research into breast cancer and organisations which provide emotional and physical support for those suffering from cancer. Walk the Walk is also passionate about encouraging men and women to become fitter and healthier through power walking.
This year, the theme was ‘A Walk On The Wild Side’ so the team, appropriately named ‘Heels on Fire’, wore leopard print outfits with fluorescent pink fur trim. 15,000 men and women from far and wide converged on the capital to take part and walk the 26.2 mile route through the streets of London, which started and ended in Hyde Park.
Zoe explained why the team took part. She said, “Last year, I took part in the half marathon walk (the HalfMoon) and, at the end, I felt that I could do more so I decided to enter the MoonWalk this year. I mentioned it to my friend, Rachel, and we decided to do it together and then it snowballed into Danny and Ian joining us and making it a real team effort.”
Rachel added, “The biggest problem was the sheer number of walkers on the narrow pavements, which meant we couldn’t get a good rhythm going which slowed us down and meant that the walk took us 8 hours 31 minutes to complete – slightly longer than the 5-6 hours we had hoped for – but then that’s all part of it. We have a few blisters and ache a bit but, on the whole, we all survived quite well.”
And as for Danny and Ian, did they mind wearing leopard print and pink for the occasion? “Of course not,” they said. “It was all in aid of a good cause and added to the sense of occasion.”
To date, the team have raised £400 but will continue collecting donations for another week. If anyone would like to add to the team’s fundraising total, a sponsorship form will be available at Apricot in Scott Road.
