A 66-year-old great-grandmother from Edgware, north London, braved intense heat earlier this month to complete her 20th marathon in aid of Norwood in just 12 years. Power-walking dynamo Flora Frank took part in the 33rd Tiberias Marathon in Israel on 7 January and crossed the finish line in just under six hours. Her success means she has now clocked up 525 miles and raised an incredible £150,000 for Norwood, which provides vital support to people with learning disabilities and children and families in need.
The adult educator, who has completed 14 London, four Tiberias and two New York marathons, hopes to raise £15,000 for Norwood this year through her participation in the Tiberias and London marathons. “Norwood is an amazing charity,” said Flora, whose 54-year-old brother Nissim Moses lives at Ravenswood, the Charity’s residential community for adults with learning disabilities in Berkshire. “It’s an outstanding charity. Without Ravenswood and Norwood, my brother’s life would have been happy but I’m not sure he would have been as fulfilled. I don’t think he would have had the level of stimulation and general life enhancement that he has received at Ravenswood.”
The Tiberias Marathon takes place 200m below sea-level in the Jordan Valley. The course follows the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) and winds its way through numerous ancient historical landmarks along the way.
“It was very hot and very difficult,” said Flora. “However, having said that it was a wonderful experience. You’re walking on Biblical land and the scenery is breathtaking. You feel very elevated and it was a marvellous feeling to cross the line. The good thing about walking is that you don’t really feel tired or stiff afterwards as you’re not putting as much strain on your body. I’ll keep taking part in marathons for as long as G_d allows me to.”
Ian Tate, Norwood’s Head of Challenges, said: “To complete 20 marathons in just 12 years is an amazing achievement and Norwood is very grateful to Flora for her unstinting support. The money raised by Flora and our other Challenges participants is vital to our work, helping thousands of people to improve the quality of their lives and achieve their goals. We cannot thank her enough for her energetic commitment and are delighted at her success.”
