Monday, May 16, 2011

Half way there

As you may know, the reason this blog exists and the motivation behind my becoming an Ironman is in memory of my dear friend, Neil Suddes. I have been trying to raise money for research in heart disease and, so far, I have managed to get half way to my target of 3,000 pounds. Please at least read the following and consider making a donation - it requires just a few clicks and it is perfectly safe. Thank you to every one for their support, both in my fundraising target and in my personal target of becoming an Ironman.


[Scroll down for Spanish / Para leerlo en español, ver abajo]

If you didn't know Neil Suddes then all I can say is you missed out.

I first met Neil back in the 90's in a pub in called the Devonshire Arms which, known to us record-heads, was one of the few places you could go to hear good music in Cambridge in those days. Whenever Neil was on the decks we would try to keep the pretences of a conversation up while fighting the urge to jump up and ask what every "fookin' tune" he played was. Ironically, he probably found a number of them in a BHF charity shop for next to nothing.

For me, Neil personified everything I love about music. Sometimes the rest of us could get quite competitive over digging out that elusive tune gathering dust in some record shop. Neil had a brilliant ear and an amazing knowledge for music coupled with the luck of the Gods in unearthing rare records, and yet he was always humble and generous in sharing these with his friends. Above all he was so creative - a true original - and had a fantastic sense of humour which was definitely reflected in his music, his graphic design and his photography. After all, you should never take things too seriously...

I always felt as though I could pick up with Neil just where I left off so it was a terrible shock to hear that he had died, suddenly, of a heart attack aged just 41. You only have to type "Suddes" into Google to see that I was not the only one deeply affected by this loss.

I recently got into running marathons and triathlons and I know only too well that some people have a heart condition of which they can be completely unaware until a set of circumstances - heat, stress, a virus maybe - strikes them down. For this reason, I chose for the money I raise to go to The British Heart Foundation: in spite of having "British" in the name, it is an organization which funds life changing research with a global reach. Neil was a keen cyclist and I would have enjoyed having a geeky conversation with him about Campagnolo Record versus Shimano Dura-Ace. Instead it seems fitting to dedicate my efforts in the Ironman in Brazil 2011 to the memory of all those great evenings we spent together.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Si nunca llegaste a conocer a Neil Suddes lo único que te puedo decir es que te lo has perdido.

Conocí a Neil en los años 90, en el pub “the Devonshire Arms” que, conocido por unos cuantos discófilos, era uno de los pocos sitios donde uno podía escuchar buena música en Cambridge en aquella época. Cada vez que pinchaba Neil, nosotros intentábamos disimular, manteniendo una conversación mientras resistíamos la tentación de preguntarle que c*ño era el temazo que tocaba. Irónicamente, es probable que, muchos de aquellos discos, los hubiera pillado en una tienda de charity de la British Heart Foundation por unos pocos peniques.

Para mí, Neil era la personificación de todo que yo amaba de la música. A veces los demás éramos bastante competitivos en buscar esa joya elusiva, cubierta de polvo en alguna tienda de discos. Neil tenía un gusto espectacular, un conocimiento asombroso de música y la suerte de un cabrón para encontrar discos y era, sin embargo, siempre humilde y generoso, compartiendo sus descubrimientos con sus amigos. Sobre todo era tan creativo – un verdadero “original” – y tenía un sentido de humor fantástico que quedó reflejado en su música, su diseño y su fotografía. Al final y al cabo, las cosas nunca se deberían tomar demasiado en serio…
Siempre tenía la sensación de que podía retomar mi amistad con Neil cuando quisiera así que era un palo terrible cuando me dijeron que se había muerto, inesperadamente, de un infarto con tan sólo 41 años. Con que teclees “Suddes” en Google, verás que no fui el único tan profundamente afectado por esta noticia.

Hace poco empecé a correr maratones y triatlones y sé de sobra que hay gente con una condición cardiaca de la cual ni siquiera son conscientes hasta que, un conjunto de circunstancias – el calor, el estrés, un virus tal vez – la pone en evidencia. Por eso, he decido recaudar dinero para The British Heart Foundation: a pesar de tener “British” en el nombre, es una organización que financia investigación que puede salvar vidas y que tiene un alcance global. Neil era un ciclista también, y me hubiera gustado discutir con el los méritos relativos de Campagnolo Record y Simano Dura-Ace. Como ya va a ser posible, me parece apropiado dedicar el esfuerzo que me va a suponer terminar el Ironman de Brasil en 2011 a la memoria de aquellas veces que pasábamos juntos escuchando música.

Gracias por haber tomado el tiempo para leer mi página de JustGiving.

Donando a través de JustGiving es sencillo, rápido y totalmente seguro. Tus detalles están en buenos manos con JustGiving – nunca los venderán ni te mandarán emails no deseados. Una vez que has donado, mandarán tu dinero directamente a la organización de caridad. Es la manera más eficaz de donar – recaudo más mientras la organización de caridad ahora tiempo y costes.

Así que, por favor, dona lo que puedas ahora.

3 comments:

  1. Love it! Music and sport together, brilliant union, i belong to this group too. Glad to read this post,

    cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ok Rob, let’s put it like that: I will donate € 1 for every km you run above 5 minutes and € 2 for every kilometer you run below that.
    I don’t mean to put any more pressure on you but to give you some extra motivation for the marathon (and something else to think about during your running!)
    Pablo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, Pablo - great idea! And thanks so much!! You know that this could end up being quite expensive for you... I will bring proof on my Garmin!

    ReplyDelete