A 66-year-old great-grandmother from Edgware, north London, is set to complete her 20th marathon in aid of Norwood when she takes part in the 33rd Tiberias Marathon in Israel on 7 January, 2010. Power walking dynamo Flora Frank only started participating in the long-distance endurance races 12 years ago. But since then she has clocked up nearly 500 miles and raised an incredible £150,000 for the Charity, which supports people with learning disabilities and children and families in need.
Flora has power-walked her way to the finish line at 14 London, three Tiberias and two New York marathons. However, the adult educator, who hopes to raise a further £15,000 for Norwood in 2010 through her participation in the Tiberias and London marathons, played down her achievement and said she felt ‘grateful’ and ‘humble’ to have reached the milestone.
“I am a great believer in the work that Norwood does,” said Flora, whose 52-year-old brother Nissim Moses lives in Ravenswood, the Charity’s residential community for adults with learning disabilities in Berkshire. “The support which it provides to people like my brother is unbelievably important and an incredible example of true giving.”
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.
“Because I’m a power walker I’m more or less on my own, which is an amazing feeling,” said Flora, who hopes to complete the course in five and a half hours. “I’m just going to take it at a steady pace and enjoy myself. It’s wonderful to be walking on such historic ground in the land of our fathers.”
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 and wish her the best of luck in Tiberias.”
