THE ROAD TO BEIJING - Marathon Running Documentary - LAST UPDATED 17th June.

The Road to Beijing Project started with the simple premise of how far a 16 stone obese documentary film maker could progress in a two year period with the ultimate goal of attempting to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games. The documentary soon evolved based of the staggering statistics that 102 British marathon runners ran under the 2:20 mark in 1985 while only 5 runners managed the same feat in 2007. The documentary delves into the reasons behind this dramatic decline which is in direct contrast to the rise of the East African runners.

To illustrate the subject matter further the documentary follows the stories of exceptionally talented British runner Ben Moreau, an Oxford graduate and the equally talent former Ethiopian goat herder Mengsitu Abebe. Both runners will be going head to head at the Reebok Bristol half marathon September and then onto the ING Amsterdam Marathon where they will both be making their marathon debut in what could potentially mark their first steps towards London 2012.
 

LATEST NEWS - 17th JUNE 2008

4 months to go before the Amsterdam Marathon and the project is really starting to take shape again. Ben Moreau recently won his first cap for England in the Marseille 10 km where he finished 10th and 2nd out of the team of 4 English runners in a time of 30:25. After the AAA championships on the 12th of July Ben will be focusing his attentions towards the RBK Bristol half marathon and the ING Amsterdam Marathon. In August Ben will join myself and my cameraman on a trip to Ethiopia where he will meet and train with Ararat Hotel bellboy Mengsitu Abebe. Ben has also secured a sponsorship deal with shoe and clothing company Saucony.

I have been in touch with Mengsitu over the last few months who's training has been progressing well out in Ethiopia. He is very excited at the prospect of having the opportunity to prove himself by running in Bristol and then onto Amsterdam. At this time I have been able to gain the support of 3 prominent MP's regarding his visa application.

Finally I have been able to manage a few 30 minutes pain free runs in the last week and although still not 100% and feeling very slow and unfit I think that this could possibly mark the first steps to some kind of recovery. 3 cortisone injections, MRI scans, constant physio, visits to world leading tendon specialists and daily eccentric exercises seem to finally be paying off. If I do make a full recovery then the old saying "No Pain No Gain" will be particularly true as at times during the exercises the pain has been excruciating! I am also getting very bored of swimming now and can't wait to be able to train properly again.

I have interviews lined up with marathon legend Ron Hill and UK Athletics Chairman Ed Warner and have gained the support of Hilly Clothing and Orbana sports drinks. With the possibility of a shortened trip to Iten in Kenya during mid September the last few months of the project on paper appear to be well planned out... lots of hard work between now and then though!
 

PROJECT ETHOS

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt