Mothers Day Classic

Getting up for Mother’s Day Classic last Sunday - I was very excited but it was dark, it was cold, and I was very nervous as I hadn’t gotten any faster and I hadn’t lost a single kilo!  I just hoped I wouldn’t embarrass myself. 

But then I got there and the atmosphere was fantastic - it wasn’t just a fun run I really felt like I was part of something important.  I started talking to others in the crowd and heard the statistics - 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85 !  And I heard so many stories that reminded me that I am so lucky that it is the weather and kilos that are my biggest upsets for the day. 

Sarah lost her aunt to breast cancer and discovered that she too carried the breast cancer gene giving her a 95% chance of having breast cancer herself; so at the young age of 27, Sarah had a full mastetomy to avoid that diagnosis later on.  27!!!! 

Dawn was in her early 40s when diagnosed and found telling her diagnosis to those she loved harder than finding out herself.  Di, diagnosed at 62, now worries about her 3 daughters and her new grandaughter. 

Cheryl, diagnosed at 31, before going through full chemo and radiotherapy had to make life-changing decisions regarding fertility and her future as a mother. 

And 7 year old Matthew lost his mum 9 months ago to the disease…  

So I hit the pavement with renewed vigour and was so proud to be supporting such a wonderful event and important cause.  I went back to the assembly area afterwards and just took in the atmosphere - it was amazing - emotional but so inspiring!  Next year I will definately be there again and will be encouraging more of my friends and family to join in the Mother’s Day Classic - let’s help raise the funds so that the researchers can find the answers to this terrible disease. 

Congratulations to the organisers for a fantastic event and for giving such a true and important meaning to Mother’s Day! 

Thank you to everyone that supported the Mother’s Day Classic - from the organisers, the runners & walkers, the sponsors, the fundraisers & those amazing volunteers - well done on making this year’s Classic the best one ever.
 
When my father was dying a few years I promised him on his death bed that in anything I tried in the future I would aim to make a difference.  It is with great interest that I noticed that the first line on the front page of the MDC website it says “a chance to make a real difference”.
 
Well I can say that to all that participated on Sunday, we all made a difference.  Well done!
 
All funds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation have a positive impact in shaping our future in their quest to finding a cure for breast cancer.  Along the way they will save many lives of Australian women.  Nearly all of us will know someone that has been affected by breast cancer and it must be gratifying to know that chances of survival have improved dramatically in recent years following the increase in research and awareness.
 
You may not know which life was saved, but have a smile on your face knowing that you helped in whatever way in “making a difference”.
 
As always Mother’s Day produced magnificent weather.  Chookie & my gorgeous wifey Kylie went to Parramatta Park for the first time after years at the Domain in Sydney.  To see a crowd well over 3,000 was amazing given that the MDC only started here last year.  Chookie had the wonderful honour in starting the 4km race.  As she was running the race herself, she was tempted to do the old schoolyard trick in taking off herself before saying “go”.  I must say that Chookie is improving with age as she seems to be moving better now as a 62yo.  If she keeps improving with age then I might have to come up with a new nickname for her as she won’t be the old chook for much longer!
 
I have often said before that Mother’s Day is my favourite day of the year & once again it didn’t let me down.  The happiness I felt when I saw Chookie’s face cross the finish line (as a symbolic gesture that she beat Breast Cancer for another year) was something special & something that is hard to describe in words. 
 
A few weeks ago we announced Chookie’s goal of making the top three in her age category … to be honest I thought it was going to be a tough challenge for her especially with all those super fit grannies & it would mean a few weeks of training - something which is foreign to her … but she did it & guess what?  Not only did she reach her goal of making the top three … she won her age category!!  Woohoo Chookie!!   Now we had one very stiff & sorry Chookie at lunch but boy was she so happy - her grin was wider than Sydney Harbour.  Apart from winning dad’s heart over 37 years ago, I am not sure if she ever won anything else in her life.  Now she is an “elite athlete” and is talking about “defending her title” next year! 
 
Now it doesn’t matter where you finish, so long as you participated & I was so happy to see so many people show up in supporting a great cause.  It was great to see so many men in support of this great cause as well.  Well done guys in supporting your loved ones.  It was also superb seeing so many young children out & having fun.  Not only are they enjoying a healthy lifestyle, they are also made aware about Breast Cancer issues at a young age. 
 
After the race it was great to see everyone cool down together & enjoy the entertainment.  I reckon the boys from Mix were the busiest as they must have given out hundreds of spot prizes.  Well done to NBCF and the sponsors for providing so many prizes.
 
To all the mothers out there, I hope you had a great Mother’s Day.  You are all very, very special and precious to us. 
 
I regularly joke about some funny things that mothers say to their kids … and how they are often threats.  I reckon a heard a hundred of them on Sunday.  My favourite one was by my very own mother Chookie … “I brought you into this world … and I can take you out as well.”  Aaah yes, dear old, sweet, innocent mothers!
 
Finally I would like to thank the National Breast Cancer Foundation for giving me the opportunity to express my thoughts over the past few weeks.  Hopefully you enjoyed it.  After almost losing mum in 2000, I am forever grateful in having her with me today and for many more years to come.  I also look forward to spending many more decades with my beautiful wife Kylie.  I wish all of ye out there the same good fortune.
 
Sincerely yours & I look forward to seeing ye again next year!
 
Adrian Raftery, aka Mr Taxman.
 
 
PS I love you loads mum and I am so so proud of you!

Well its less than a month til this year’s Classic.  During the week we entered online & received our purchased goods in the mail already - most efficient service this year.  The blue cap is an excellent idea this year & I reckon that alot of men will have no worries about wearing them in support of their wives,mothers, girlfriends, etc.  I must admit that I have never been able to build up the courage to wear the pink caps in previous years so I am happy to wear the blue one.  Also when myself & Kylie (my wife) go for a walk with our caps we don’t look like Ken & Barbie wearing the same colours. 
 
The past few years I have been using the MDC as a training run for the Sydney half marathon the following weekend as the course at the Domain is also part of the half marathon course.  It was also a good test in pacing myself when in a crowd & not to go out too hard because invariably you will struggle at the end of the run.  Running in a fun run is always better than going for a run by yourself as you seem to run quicker - not quite sure why but I guess the competitive nature of trying to beat the person beside you would kick in.  Also by participating in a fun run there are alot of benefits that you seem to get out of it … you feel healthier as you train for a few weeks/months and invariably improve the diet with more & more alcohol free days along the way.  You also seem to lose a few kilos which is never a bad thing as the clothes that didn’t fit in January always seem alot easier to wear post-fun run. 
 
This weekend we flew to Adelaide for a business conference.   The trip started with the usual banter that we would be really good & go for long walks every day along the beach & also go for a swim in the hotel every morning.  On our walks we were lucky to experience seeing a few dolphins frolicking at Glenelg beach & it was probably the highlight of the weekend together with being able to have fun chatting to each other on those walks. Our flight home on Sunday was great as we spoke about how great it was spending the weekend together & how we plan on being “good” over the next few weeks & go for walks & runs. 
 
Chookie (my mum) is starting to feel the pressure of the Mothers Day Classic this year.  Whilst it is our favorite day of the whole year for the past decade, she hasn’t exactly been the ultimate professional by never training for the event, instead electing to go into the event without a training session under the belt.  The same old story would happy every year … we participate in the Mothers Day classic … mum finishes with a smile brighter than Times Square … we have a lovely lunch & mum would be beaming about how proud she was in finishing it & how she SHOULD have trained for the event because she would struggle in latter stages of the run … and then a few days later she would say how stiff & sore she was & how she MUST train in future years for the Classic … and how she said the same thing last year … and the year before.  But she loves the day & wears her finishers medal all day & the next day at work as well. 
 
So this year she has felt the need to start getting into training especially as alot of people will be tracking her progress through this blog.  Sorry Chookie!!  Anyway, she has been going for a few walks with Missy (her Maltese Terrier) & has also purchased a bike a while ago in a cross-training bid to get fitter for May 11.  She is in the 60-69 age category for the 4km run and the aim is to not only finish but to try & get a top three placing.  Go Chookie!!
 
Now this bike had been sitting in a box in the garage for over a month.  My cousin from Ireland Mary Ann has been staying with mum for the past few weeks whilst “back-packing” & decided to “help” mum’s training regime by putting this bike together.  Chookie was very happy about this til she saw the final product looked nothing like the picture on the box.  She was somewhat perplexed when she saw “spare parts” left over … so her next door neighbour had a look at the instructions on Friday night & it seems that the spare parts included the brakes & a few other important bits to the front wheel which somehow was “back to front” - not sure how a wheel can be that way - but it was as mum reliably informed me.
 
Over the years we have been blown away with the growth of the MDC … we remember when it was only held in Sydney a decade ago with about 500 people … and now it is so big with so many great sponsors on board as the event is national.  Just seeing the growth in fundraising on the MDC home page brings a smile to my face.  I wonder what the event will be like in another ten years time.  Whatever it will look like, there is one thing for certain … we will be there for it.

Adrian