Claire Cupitt

There is no better feeling than thinking you're a fit, sporty woman, to only be ridiculed by the seasoned marathon runner. This is the reason I joined the Can Too Half Marathon Team!

More seriously, taking on a new sport is quite an exciting prospect, though tackling a half marathon, I deemed somewhat scary. I had not run further than 10kms before signing up to the Can Too program, and now that seems like a piss in the wind. (am I allowed to say that?)

Like most others taking part in the Can Too program and raising money for Cure Cancer, I've seen the effects of Cancer first hand and these memories stay with you forever. The Can Too program provides a fantastic opportinuity to raise money for this excellent cause while taking on a new fitness challenge. I have always used running as a way to help keep fit for other sports in my life but didn't realise that real runners actually run for longer than half an hour. So far I have got up to running non stop for 1hr and 50mins which I never though achievable in my life time!

I've met some interesting people and become closer with some of my colleagues. No better way to make new work mates than running around an athletics track together in the rain, with a runny nose and sweaty underarms.

Kash Ziaei

As most of you would know I am no stranger to running, fun runs and half marathons having done numerous fun runs and 2 half marathons already. At this point your probably wondering... "yeah, so what? You've done 2 half marathons and you didn't learn from the first 2, so your stupid enough to have a go at another one!"

Yes you are right, the only difference this time is that I will be using my stupidity for good rather than just to prove a point. I am running the next half marathon as part of Can Too with the other Savills guys to raise money for cancer research.

Now the bit about me having to prove myself, which goes with out saying... the last 2 half marathons that I have completed I have done so in 1hr 41min 48sec and 1hr 41min 16sec respectively. For the next race I have set myself the ambitious goal of 90 min or 1hr 30. To give my self a little bit more of an incentive I will be donating $50 for every minute (or part there of) that I am over this time and $100 for every minute (or part there of) that I go under this time. Once official results are released everyone will get a copy of my time and the copy of my receipt proving that I lived up to my promise BUT I also am looking for your sponsorship and support of my goal and raise even more money for cancer research.

So you know that I love to run and that I am very competitive and I love the social aspect that sport brings so I am able to combine all three things that I enjoy doing as part of the Savills Can Too Team and the extra bonus of raising money for cancer research.

Belinda Nowland

I joined to run a half marathon and raise money for a charity. I am doing both, but both are a lot harder than I expected. I'm learning a great deal. Although I dread running around in circles (around the track) and the cold, and the wind and the rain where the boys try to mow you down beating their competition, it’s a great feeling when you finish and turn the heaters up in your car on the way home.
Funnily enough I have met some good people - like the lady volunteering to train us is a personal instructor who does iron man as a hobby, and this year she is sailing the Sydney to Hobart as something different. She gets up at 2:30 to eat porridge with water (not milk) before iron man. I don’t think I'm that dedicated yet. She likes taking caffeine pills every 45 mins in a race as it gives her energy, and it also gives her something to do during her many hour races...
There is the other personal trainer who is German and a masseuse and shaves his legs even though he is a marathoner. I'm not sure why. I have trailed behind his very muscular calves up hills all over Edgecliff. He tells me I don’t think light enough thoughts and that one day I will enjoy hills. He also tells me his heart rate can get up to 220bpm. I don’t like mine over 145.
Pros and cons, scary parts and good parts. I think its definitely worth it, and hopefully we might meet one of the scientists we sponsor through our freddos, singles nights and jelly wrestling competitions.

Update: 25/08/08 This Saturday we went out thinking we were going to run 16 km but ended up running 17.75km. In the rain. We had good support all the way, but no calves to watch. We ended up taking Gu and water at the half way mark. I actually think the Can Too program and the training is now starting to pay off - I certainly have never been able to get this far training by myself. Next week is 20km. I'm trying not to think about it......

Ateca Vucago

Hi all!

This is my first Can Too run, and im participating in the 9km Bridge run (I can safely blame Kim for dobbing me in!). As my team mates have previously mentioned cancer has affected everyone in some way, and im just doing my little bit to help out, keep fit and meet new people. The most rewarding aspect of this challenge is that the funds raised will go directly to Cancer Research and keeping the funding in Australia means this valuable resource stays in Oz!

Im a sprinter by trade so getting over the mental barrier of running long distances has been one of the tougher challenges in my journey, however, the training program, support from our team and team mentors has made my running experience all the more enjoyable and seeing the results is even better!

Cheers for your support!
T xox

Stephanie Rae

I became involved in Can Too as I have never really been a runner. I have always enjoyed playing sports but running has never been a big part of that!! So I thought why not challenge myself to run the 9km Bridge Run. Some may think this is not a real challenge but when you have never run 1km before it is a real challenge. At the same time as learning to run we are also raising money for a great cause, Cure Cancer Research. Everyone we meet during our Can Too adventure is doing this for different reasons but one main reason is everyone has been affected by someone with cancer.

We are now just a month our from the event and everyone is getting very serious with the training so help us run and help Cure Cancer Research by supporting the Savills Team.

Clint Zammit

How did I get involved with Can-Too ? All I did was ask Claire (another Can-too’er) why is Savills selling chocolates, next thing I know I’m faxing off the registration form.

I never thought of ever running 21.1 km in my life but with the support of the Savills team and Can-Too’s training programme I’m more than half way there.

Most of us all know someone who was or perhaps is affected by cancer, so for me, justifying why I should commit to the Can-Too programme was easy.

Training for this event is just one part of the programme, the other is to raise money for Cure Cancer Research. So help us make a difference and support our Savills team.

Kim York

"Hi, I'm Kim!

I'm currently in training for the 9km Bridge Run - I'm not as mad as the 21km'ers- especially not the 42km'ers, as the 9km is proving to be a good enough challenge for me!

Cancer unfortunately is a commonly used word - what we need to remember is that it is only a word and not a death sentence for all. I assume that almost everyone reading this has lost, or knows of someone who has lost a family member, relative, friend, or colleague to this terrible disease. Each of us from Savills have our own motivation for partaking in CanToo this year - mine is to raise funds for the worthy cause and in memory of my father who lost his battle to cancer in August 2005.

I have never been a runner and never would have imagined me out running but its with the support, comradery of the fellow participants and the faith in knowing that your money is funding vital research into this terrible disease that gets me motivated each and every week. Watch out for the fluro orange shirts and cheer us on!"

Eloise Morrison

There are two reasons that I decided to become involved with CanToo, one was to learn how to run, I had never really been able to run more then 1k without stopping before! The other was to support a cause that means a lot to me as my grandfather died of lung cancer in October 2007.

We are now half way through the training program, I have raised more then I had initially expected and I have run 7k- and this is a huge achievement for me!

I am really enjoying the group training- and as we do train in a group I am actually finding it much easier then I thought. It has inspired me to also think about doing more programs in the future.

Susan King

I have been involved with Can Too for nearly two years and the Can Too organization is huge part of my life and life style. I started with Can Too by embarking with Can Too Swim in 2006 – 07 to swim in a 2.7km ocean swim from Palm Beach to Whale Beach in Sydney .. I had the best time as growing up in rural NZ I swam in calm clear rivers so to get into the ocean was a huge challenge. I loved that so much I then joined the half marathon program in June 2007 . There I met a huge group of likeminded people who are now some of my best friends and we tackled the 21.1km journey together . As I loved the swim the year before I thought well I will give this another go and spent my summer participating in ocean swimming races in and around Sydney’s wonderful beaches as Can Too had given me the confidence in the ocean to expand my horizons into more challenges. This year it is the big one .. I am doing the marathon . and the great thing about it is all my friends from the half marathon last year enjoyed it so much we have all embarked on the journey together and I know that you may find this hard to believe but it is fantastic and so glad that I am on this journey with Can Too and all my friends. I cannot speak highly enough of Can Too and the what they are achieving and providing me the opportunity to have this amazing life experience as well as contributing to finding a cure for cancer So my picture is of my marathon buddies when we up on the Gold Coast participating in the half marathon up there as part of our training program. As you can see we are the “ orange singlet army “ Thanks for your support ( and in case you have forgotten what I look like I am number 2529 ! )

Adam Flint

Hello fellow Savillians,

Welcome to the Team Savills Can Too blog. This site has been created so that we can share our blood, sweat and tears on our journey towards the Blackmores Running Festival on Septmeber 21, 2008.
My name is Adam Flint and I work in the National Office as the National IT Trainer. Thanks to my colleague Susan King, I have embarked on what is proving to be a wonderul journey both physically and spiritually.
I say physically for obvious reasons as this will be the furthest I have ever run in my whole life ! I am training for the 21km Half Marathon. However thanks to Can Too the task has become less daunting than i had originally thought.
I have been training for the last 9 weeks with my fair share of pain and pleasure. Pleasure was completeing the City 2 Surf for the first time ever in 82mins 34 secs. Pain because of my "skin-flints" as I affectionately refer to my shin-splints as.
Anyway armed with a tub of Tiger Balm I am off to run another 12kms this Saturday. Please support our cause by sponsoring the team or your favourite individual :)

Adam

Your Savills Can Too Team

Welcome to the Team Savills Can Too Blog.

We are 10 employees from the NSW National Office and have embarked on a journey to run an event in the Blakemores Sydney Running Festival on the 21st of September 2008 http://www.sydneymarathon.org/ . We are all training with an organisation called Can Too http://www.cantoo.org.au/ where we get professionally trained to reach the finish line in whatever event we have chosen and in return we raise money to go towards Cure Cancer Australia which is funding researchers who are putting all their efforts into finding a cure for the big C .

You too can help us by donating to our cause:

To donate on line go to http://www.cantoo.org.au/
On the menu bar click on "Sponsor a Participant "
On the drop down menu click "Online Sponsorship "
Enter the surname of the participant that you want to sponsor ( Savills Team or the specific employee you want to sponsor ). " Click on Search "
Tick the name of the person you wish to sponsor and enter your sponsorship amount. "Click on Add Sponsorship "
Fill in the compulsory fields. "Click on Submit"
After a sponsorship has been made online, you will receive an automatic notification that the sponsorship has been received along with a tax deductible receipt.

We will use this forum to keep you updated as you support us to find a cure for the Big C.