The Toby 2015 – A record breaking year!

The Toby is over for another year and what an incredible weekend it was! Before this year’s Toby we knew we would break the £25,000 in total money raised for St Oswald’s over the last eight years but I don’t think any of us realised we would far exceed this amount.

On Friday 21 August 16 Wallsend Harriers set off early for Edinburgh for the start of the Coast and Castles cycle route. We arrived back in Tynemouth at teatime on Sunday 23 August having ran the 188 mile route as a relay. Along the way there were lots of laughs, only one leg got lost (the first leaving Edinburgh Castle!) and we had one lost cyclist! Everyone probably has their own memories from the weekend and a day after the Toby, I am too tired and weary to try and remember everything that happened.

This year we had specially commissioned t-shirts to promote the Toby and they were so successful. On the first day as we ran along the route somewhere in Scotland a car stopped, asked us what we were doing and donated £20. A Welsh couple who were staying in the same B&B as us in Melrose donated another £10 even though they had no idea where Tynemouth was!

Thank you to everyone who helped organised this year’s Toby, drove the minibuses, cycled each leg and to all the Toby runners. Extra thanks to Bill Todd for seeing us off on the Friday, meeting us at the end and checking in with us over the weekend. Thanks to Ruth Marshall for joining us on the last day and cycling most of it with us. Thanks also to Malcom Marshall for finding our lost cyclist! Finally thanks to everyone who joined in for the last leg(s) and those who met us at the end.

Over the last eight years there have been many Wallsend Harriers who have taken part in the Toby. After this weekend we have ran approximately 1,592 miles and raised more than £26,000 in total for St Oswald’s Hospice over that time and there is still more money to come in. So, to everyone who has ran, organised, supported and sponsored us over the last eight years – thank you! “People need people”. I think the Toby epitomises the words of our beloved Terry and we should be proud of what the Toby has achieved. Let’s aim for £30,000 for next year’s Toby!

Elaine