Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article
Benali’s pride on marathon journey
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Just over a year after crossing the finish line at St Mary’s at the end of a second marathon challenge that pushed him to his physical and mental limits, Benali is still hungry for more with a target of £1,000,000 firmly in sight.
For now, a well-earned extended rest as he plots his next move.
“It seems a long time ago since I did the challenge so I haven’t been doing any serious running recently. I’m taking it easy at the moment even now, a year and a bit after crossing the line.
“I’m conscious that I should be doing a little bit more but for now I’m enjoying my running rather than seriously thinking that I need to get the miles and hours in my legs.”
Reflecting back on a fortnight in which he covered 1400 miles, running and cycling for up to 12 hours a day, understandably stirs mixed emotions for Benali but overriding them all is pride and gratitude for the generosity of those who made it all possible.
“Pleasurable would not be a word I would use… it was just an incredible experience,” he says smiling.
“It was a life-changing period and had a profound effect on me personally. It enabled me to realise what my limits were both physically and mentally.
“I’ve had some amazing people around me. Their support has enabled me to complete these challenges and they were with me every step of the way.”
From those who joined Franny on the road throughout his journey to those whose donations are funding trials and research here in Southampton, the support of the community continues to be a source of strength for the 48-year-old.
“Not just for the challenge itself, I had a fantastic support network on a day-to-day basis in the months leading up to it, a huge amount of work went in before it could happen.
“Knowing that I had that behind me made a huge a difference. It could have been a friend or a stranger just turning up for the challenge and either joining in for a few miles or just showing their support by coming out and cheering us on.
“That the donations were coming in behind the scenes whilst everything was going on, there has been a huge amount of generosity.”
A visit to the Southampton Cancer Research Centre last week was an opportunity not only to witness the fruits of the team’s labours but to deservedly celebrate its achievements so far.
Both give Benali the conviction that his work is far from over.
“The visit was very significant. The work that the researches are doing in the laboratories is incredible. There’s a new immunology centre being built at the moment which will be at the cutting edge of cancer research for trials and testing.
“Seeing the work that they do is inspiring. People’s diagnosis stories were a huge motivating factor for me so to see the work that goes on in the labs and to get an understanding of their ambitions for the future was remarkable."
So with over 2000 miles under his belt – accumulated in the space of five weeks in 2014 and 2016 - don’t be surprised to see Franny back in the saddle before long. A final lap in Benali’s Big Race would round off his staggering story in style.
“I’ll be getting the team together to see if we can come up with something which will capture people’s imaginations again. Maybe one more challenge will get us over the line and up to £1,000,000.
"Above all else, I hope that I have shown that with enough preparation and determination, absolutely anything is possible.”
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