Marathon 12th Man.......whatever next?

Marathon 12th Man!

Oxford United fan and OxVox supporters’ trust member Andy Hill will be putting on his running shoes to raise money for the 12th Man Fund next month.

Andy has been fortunate enough to secure a coveted place in the Flora London marathon to be run on Sunday April 25th, just one day after the Us wind up their Conference league programme at Eastbourne Borough. Andy has run the Marathon several times and he is looking forward to the challenge. We will be following his progress in training and posting reports from time to time on the 12th Man blog and the OxVox website.

But fans can sponsor him now. You can make a donation by visiting the OxVox website www.oxvox.org.uk and clicking on the 12th Man Fund donation buttons. Or you can send a cheque payable to ‘The 12th Man’ to OxVox at 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX28 1EG, indicating that your donation is prompted by Andy’s run. The OxVox site will carry updates of the total raised so far, and we trust Andy’s efforts will be well rewarded.

We are pleased to confirm that at Andy’s suggestion anyone who sponsors him for £20 or more will receive a free one year membership of OxVox.

Andy adds “I have been extremely fortunate to obtain an entry, in the official ballot, to run The Virgin London Marathon this year and am VERY proud to be able to use my run to raise funds for this excellent cause. The ballot for the race is always 3 or 4 times oversubscribed for the 35,000 places on offer so places are at a premium.

“I am a lifelong Oxford United supporter and watch the team home and away throughout the season. I also play for Raging Fever, the supporters’ team, who play opposition fans up and down the country on the morning of Oxford United matches, before cheering the team to victory in the afternoon!

“Whenever I run The London Marathon I wear an Oxford United shirt and always get support from Oxford United supporters as I pound the streets of the capital for 26.2 miles! Marathon running is very similar to the trails and tribulations of a football season, there are highs and lows, agony and ecstasy and the knowledge that you have a long hard slog ahead of you........but step by step you get nearer to the final prize.

“I hope that London based Oxford United supporters and people travelling back home after an overnight stay in Eastbourne will be kind enough to come along and offer vocal support. It is always a fun day out with bands playing outside pubs so come along and give me a cheer...............and afterwards everyone would be welcome to join me in for a celebratory beer in a pub somewhere not too far from the end of the course! Let’s hope that we are celebrating another successful occasion at the same time...............and that the 'P' word is no longer banned!”

Club Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: “We wish Andy the best of luck in the Marathon. It is another example of fans supporting the 12th Man Fund and we wish him success in his training and on the day.”