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Danny
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Daily
Diary
Marathon Sunday
After an early morning call at 6am I went down to
breakfast with Jenny my wife, friend and trainer
George Lawrence and Geraldine Davies who is handling
my PR for my six day walk. Six days! I have been
training hard for 4.5months taking walks, working
with weights and eating a diet of pasta, chicken
and carbs.
John our driver for the week arrives at 7.30am and
we set off for Blackheath. The morning is grey and
drizzly but the atmosphere on the Heath is great.
Bands, balloons and thousands of people who have
been training to take part in this great event to
raise funds for lots of different charities.
We are ushered into the VIP tent in the company
of Sir Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, Andrew Castle,
Rebecca Loos, Jade Goody, Sophie Anderton, Floella
Benjamin, Gordon Ramsay and my old mates Luther Blissett
and Mark Bright.
We all line up for the countdown '5,4,3,2,1' off
go the thousands of runners and my old mate George
and I stand to one side to let them pass. Finally
they have all gone and we start our walk followed
by Lloyd dressed as St George and pulling a dragon!
The drizzle is coming down quite fast but as we
walk along St Johns Park Road there at the side is
a large group of people playing a recording of 'You'll
never walk alone' - always a tear jerker. We reach
the first mile and I have to sit down for a rest
and wait for the bus while they open the roads again.
Suddenly we are on our own as they quickly take down
all the barriers and balloons. Thank God for maps!!
Off we go again and people are coming out all along
the route to cheer us on and throw money into our
collecting buckets. The rain's getting harder so
we get back into the bus and go off the Mum's for
lunch. Pasta and chicken again!
After lunch we start the long walk through Woolwich.
'Bout time the London Borough's did something about
their pavements. All uneven, cracked, missing - give
the disabled some help London! Hills - a big one
looms ahead. I hate them because my legs are weak
and it is hard to lift my feet. On we go up and down
those bloody pavements again. An then my first tumble-
tiredness is setting in. Up I get and then out come
lots of people from the pubs cheering me on and up
go my spirits again. Finally I have completed 4.4
miles for my first day - 2.2 on the morning leg and
than 2.2 in the afternoon. Time to go back to my
base for the week The Mad Hatter Hotel for dinner
served in bed by Jenny followed by a my daily sports
massage from me mate George.
Monday
A huge billboard of a naked Sharon stone sitting
on a chair advertising ‘Basic Instinct II’ was
today’s starting point!
Off we go – Jenny, George, Mum, Joan, Brother
Clive, kids, Remy, Elisha, Thaila, and old friends
Kerry, Angela and Tracy shaking buckets. It’s
those pavements again – get it sorted London!
It’s easier for me to walk in the road despite
traffic whizzing past a whisker away. We’ve
passed Lloyd and his Dragon. God that guy’s
brave dressed in full metal armour hauling a solid
heavy Dragon.
The Evening Standard send Valentine Low and photographer
Kevin to have a chat and walk with me.
I get on the coach for a rest stop and do a ‘down
the line’ interview on the phone with Talksport
Radio. Then off we go again joined by my old
mate Dean who grabs a collecting bucket and runs
up to all the cars stopping at red lights, for donations.
It’s good to be in my old manor – Deptford
and Greenwich. I’m getting tired now
and fall over in the bus lane outside the Royal Navel
College. George helps me up and neatly falls
over himself! We end up giggling! We
reach the Cutty Sark and Granada TV send a crew to
interview me. Jen goes into M&S and comes
out with armfuls of their great pasta salads!
Off again after lunch down into Creek Road, Deptford
past Mum’s house. So many people come
out of pubs and shops to say hello and throw money
into the buckets, it’s overwhelming.
Then there it is in front of me ‘The Wallace
Clinic’ named after me – how proud am
I of that.
On we go and I’m very tired now and go down
a couple more times. I’ve had enough
and decide to call it a day.
Collection amounts to: £150 Sunday and £318
Monday plus £1000 in online donations. Now
I know it’s worth the pain.
Tuesday
Trusty John the Coach is here to pick us up for
today’s stint. Jen and Geraldine go to
our favourite store M&S for the days rations!
Then it’s the start again – Mc Donald’s
car park on Evelyn Street. Grey and Drizzly
but in high spirits and with my wonderful friends
and family around me we head off for Surrey Quays
and I am joined by my Worsley MP Barbara Keeley who
walks with me to Rotherhithe and donates £20.
The old legs are getting used to this walking now
and we start the long haul down Jamaica Road. Geraldine
takes the middle of the road, knocking on car windows
rattling her bucket. Remy does the right side
of the road and Elisha and Thaila do the shops on
the left. Loads of donations, loads of people
beeping and waving. It really lifts me!
Jamaica Road is looong! Halfway and I’m
really tired and the legs are aching badly, but no
falls – hurrah!
We reach Tooley Street but it’s too much to
go over Tower Bridge and I decide to call it a day. Bedside’s
Arsenal are on the telly!
Wednesday
On my way to the halfway mark today. Just got to
go up over Tower Bridge along The Highway to Wellclose
Street and I have completed 13.1miles. Can't
believe it Off we go again along The
Highway, lorries, cabs, cars and people all shouting
me on. Hold up - who’s that? Frank
Maloney. Ex Manager of World Heavyweight Champion
Lennox Lewis, turns up with some of his fighters
and trainers to walk with me. He grabs a bucket
and zig zags across the road in between cars followed
by my friend Mandy and Geraldine. Talk about
dicing with death! But they do good.
Meridian TV's Andrew Pete follows us all the way
filming me walking and chatting to my family. The
Highway seems so long. It's a relief to stop just
before the entrance to the Limehouse Link tunnel
to be greeted by Dave, the manager of the Mad Hatter
Hotel @ Blackfriars and the guys from Fullers Brewery
who own the hotel. They have been major sponsors
for me and to cap it all present me with an oversized
cheque for £1000 for the Danny Wallace Foundation.
It’s overwhelming. Thanks to Fullers,
Dave and The Mad Hatter home to me, Jen, George and
Geraldine for this week.
The others jump on the bus to go through the tunnel
but the Marathon walk takes me, George, brother Clive,
Angela and Geraldine down Narrow Street. It's
a world away from the traffic and fumes on The Highway. Really
peaceful but inhabited by hundreds of joggers! Never
seen so many people running. As they go past
they all shout ‘Good Luck’, 'Well Done',
'Keep it up'. It really helps to keep me going
with that kind of support. And the donations
are great. Everyone that walks past throws
coins into the buckets and one guy comes out
of his house apologises for only having a few
coins, jumps into his car drives down the road and
comes back with a £10 note. Can't
believe how much good there is out there, despite
what you read in the papers.
It is 2 miles from Wellclose Street to West Ferry
Circus in Docklands the Marathon map says. Well
my legs think it is 22miles they feel so heavy and
I go down again a couple of times. Getting
used to this. Get myself up and go on again
to our rest stop, the London Pride pub. Am
greeted by a barrage of photographers, TV crews,
Gareth Davies from The Telegraph and not forgetting
Andrew Pate and Meridian who are still with me. Bet
they didn't reckon on having to walk part of the
Marathon!
Do a round of photos then a car stops and out steps
ex boxer Michael Watson, his brother Jeffrey and
helper Leonard. Michael asked Geraldine if
he could walk with me to show his support. He
said he remembers how much the support of other people
meant to him when he did the Marathon in 2003. We
sit and have a chat and he pinches my lunchtime banana! We
do a round of interviews and are filmed for ITV's
evening news programme walking together.
Off we go again down West Ferry for the last of the
day's two miles. Me, Michael, George, Leonard,
Mum, Jen all my wonderful family and friends.
Michael stumbles, I follow. Brothers together
Into East Ferry road, I fall forward again but my
trusty mate George catches me. Michael is concerned
and shouts encouragement. Finally we reach ‘Mudchute’ train
station and mile 17. I feel elated but it has
been a grueling day - feels like mile 27!
We stop off for a rest before Michael says goodbye
and Mum and the family head back over to Greenwich. They
are so supportive I don't know what I’d do
without them we head off back to the Mad Hatter for
fish, salad and Barcelona v Milan!
Thursday
Back to Mudchute and The George Pub. The landlady
comes out and gives us £20 for the bucket and
we start off up East Ferry Road when suddenly an
old friend Les jogs up behind me. I played
Sunday football with him and Ian Wright at St Paul’s
Deptford way back. On up to Canary Wharf where
an old school friend JJ comes to walk with me. Collecting
is going well and Karina and the staff of the MS
Society come along to help with the buckets. As does
my old mate Chris Hobbs for the second day. I
used to lodge with his Mum and Dad when I first went
down to Southampton. He now works on Canary
Wharf. Do an interview with the Daily Mirror while
I am resting and loads of people come up to have
a chat and give donations. It’s amazing
how many of them have relatives with MS. An
eye-opener
The security staff go over to the bus and ask Geraldine
if we have a permit to collect as Canary Wharf is
private land. She shows them our official charity
status letter and they radio to their boss and ask
for clearance. It’s given but the Daily
Mirror are listening intently to the conversation! A
good story for them had we not been allowed to collect
donations.
On around the South Colonnade to the North Colonnade
and all the time people are coming out of their offices
and throwing coins into the buckets. We reach
our rest stop at McDonalds and Chris Ramsay the ex
Brighton player comes along to walk and have a chat
as does Kevin Brennan who did the book with me and
Jonathan Taylor of Highdown Books, the publishers. Jonathan
tells me he is getting requests for signed books
and leaves 100 for signature!
We move off again to Poplar High Street, down West
India Dock Road onto Commercial Road and all the
time cars are beeping and money is being thrown into
the buckets. Just turning down Butcher Row
to get back on The Highway again when my old mate
Mark Bright turns up. He walks with me and
it’s great to chat to him. I look up
and see Angela and Geraldine walking down the middle
of the road again with their buckets! Mark
says goodbye as we near our stop for the night – John
Fisher Street.
Very pleased to see John the Bus and we go back
to the Mad Hatter for dinner.
Friday – The Finish!
Well this is it my last day I really can’t
believe I am finishing a day early. George
gives me my daily massage while I am talking to Radio
5. Good job its not TV!
Down for breakfast and another ‘phone interview
with Radio Manchester between mouthfuls of scrambled
egg.
Geraldine takes a call from John the Coach. The
bus has broken down and he’s going to get another
one so he’ll be late. He finally arrives
and we set off for John Fisher street our finishing
point from last night.
What a momentous day for me so full of mixed emotions. I’m
feeling great though. Back along The Highway
with Jenny, the kids, Mum Rodney, Raymond, Clive,
their wives, girlfriends, kids, and loyal friends,
Angela, Kelly and Francine and some friends from
Southampton. Past The Tower of London onto
Lower Thames street. All the time people
are stopping to shake my hand and cars and lorries
slow down to chuck coins and notes into the buckets. People
come out of their offices with donations. One
lady from a solicitors chases us down the road with
a handful of notes. She heard us going past
and had an office whip round. All the time
cars are beeping and people are shouting ‘Good
Luck’. A row of six black cabs stop for
the lights and each one of them puts a fiver in the
bucket. I can’t believe how generous and caring
people are. All the time the Daily Mirror is
photographing me walking.
We can’t go through the Blackfriars Tunnel
so we turn down onto the Thames Path and walk alongside
the River. The sun is shining and the river
is busy with tourists on boat trips. Never
walked here before. London looks great. Stop
for the loo at a pub and people come out to put money
into the buckets.
We get to Blackfriars Bridge and come up onto the
Embankment – it’s only 12.30 and we are
so far ahead of time Geraldine decides we should
have a two hour rest stop.
It’s great to sit in the sunshine and chat
with everybody. All the time the ‘phone
is ringing with enquiries from the press about my
progress and expected finish time – which is
5pm in The Mall.
BBC Manchester turn up to film me and do an interview
and then my old football coach from Southampton Bob
Higgins turns up. He was my first coach at Southampton
when I was 13. I can’t believe how many
people have bothered to come out for me.
At 2.30pm we head off for Embankment Pier and get
the same fantastic reception from people, cars, lorries,
cabs. Am getting hungry by the time we reach the
Pier so the girls go off to buy some grub. Chris
Moys and his cameraman Graham Hughes from the Daily
Mail arrive to do an interview and walk with me.
We set off again at 3.35pm on the last stretch and
still well ahead of schedule. Could have finished
earlier if I’d known how speedy I was! But
have told the press 5pm so 5pm it is!
We stop opposite the London Eye for a photo with
me and Jenny and then one with Big Ben in the background. Got
to keep a reminder for the future
We cross over into Birdcage Walk by St James’s
Park still too early so ‘the gang’ go
into the park so the kids can have a run round and
Michael Watson and Leonard arrive. We go and
sit in the bus for a while. Chris Hobbs is
there again and Julie who has been ‘bigging
me up’ on Yahoo all week turns up as well. The
sun is shining and the rain has held off and I can’t
wait to do the last bit and break through the tape.
Brian and Lucy from the Marathon office arrive and
go through the park to the finish point to get the
tape ready.
4.50pm. This is it the moment I have been training
for and the one I thought I’d never achieve. Even ‘my
rock’ Jenny didn’t think I’d get
this far. The gang go on ahead to the Finish
and me, Jenny and George walk the last quarter mile
past Buckingham Palace (I’d like to think she
was watching me out of the window). We enter
The Mall and I can see the Finish tape with a row
of photographers behind it and Michael Watson waiting
with a medal for me and George. I feel like
galloping now but George slows me down. Don’t
want to fall into the cameras at this stage! The
kids, my family and friends have made a banner congratulating
me which they hold up as I go past.
Everyone is clapping, cheering, whistling and I can’t
stop myself from a last minute spurt as I break through
the tape. The cameras flash, Michael comes
over and puts the medal around my neck and it’s
as if it is happening to someone else – I just
can’t believe I’ve done it. My
old mate George gets his medal and Jen and I can’t
stop hugging each other. It’s so emotional
for me and my mind flashes back to the dark despairing
days when I was first diagnosed and thought life
had ended. It didn’t and it hasn’t
and I hope this will inspire fellow MS sufferers
to see that there is life after diagnosis but you
have to go and grab it by the scruff of the neck.
The photographers are shouting ‘look at the
camera’ ‘stand by Michael’ ‘smile’ ‘come
into the photo Jenny’. It’s surreal. Then
I do a load of interviews and can’t stop smiling. Dave
from the Mad Hatter brings bottles of champagne and
I shake it up and shower everyone. I feel so
good I’d like to hold onto this moment forever. Still
the pictures will be a lasting memory. I cuddle
my Mum, the kids, Jenny my friends anyone within
hugging distance. Finally we all get on the
bus and go back to the Mad Hatter where they have
laid on some food and drink. Dean turns up on crutches
followed by my mate, Trix and it’s nice to
chill out and say thank you for being such good friends
and supporting me.
There are so many people to thank and so many who
have written in, ‘phoned and sent donations
who I don’t know personally and I want to take
this opportunity to thank anyone and everyone who
has sent me words of encouragement and donations.
A huge thank you and love to Elisha, Remi, Thaila,
Mum, George, Rodney, Raymond, Clive, Rachael, Mandy,
Angela, Kelly, Francine, Dean, Chris, Julie, Winston, Megan,Beth,
Thomas, Louise, Jo, Ben, Morgan, Macey, Mackenzie,
Jenny's brother Kenny who is going through a bad
time, John the Bus, Geraldine, who have been
with John the Bus, Geraldine, who have
been with me throughout the six days. And to Dave
from the Mad Hatter and Fullers for their generous
sponsorship. Frank Maloney, Saucony, BBE and
Ronhill who have given clothing sponsorship and I’ve
left the best till last – Jenny. Without
you I wouldn’t have come this far – thanks
for being you and standing by me.
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Pictures
by Graham Hughes Daily Mail |
Special thanks to:
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