Harry McGee – Mercy Mission Marathon Runner

“I’ve run three half marathons previously and a couple of charity runs but this is my first full marathon,” explains Harry, who moved over from America with the US Air Force in 1982 but is now based in High Wycombe as an operations director for a British commercial IT company. “’Rosemary asked if I’d be interested in running this year and having heard about the Mercy Mission charity and attending a fundraising dinner she organised, I know what a worthy cause it is. I thought why not?

“I embarked on a 16-week training programme in January and the one driving force behind me finishing my training is the charity. I’ve made a commitment so I want to see it through and it’s a great motivation to have. I’ve heard so much about the annual trips Mercy Mission make to Sri Lanka and the surgery they perform on children with heart complications. And also how significant their contributions are. They make such a huge difference to so many children and their families, who aren’t as privileged as we are. The team do a lot more than just performing operations too. They give people hope, which I think is unbelievable.”

“I’m hoping to finish the marathon in just over four hours; my goal is to finish it in a decent time without any injuries. But it’s also to raise as much money for this year’s eighth mission as I can, so please sponsor me! Your support will keep me going in those last painful miles.”