Michele and Tiki Run for Refugees

Taking on this year’s Chichester Half Marathon, mum and daughter team Michele and Tiki talk about why they train together and how they’re using their running to make a difference to some of the world’s most vulnerable children.

When Tiki Hills, a childminder from Littlehampton, won a place the San Francisco Half Marathon last year, she persuaded her Mum, Michele to go on the training journey with her. By the time she was set to go, she encouraged Michele to sign up for her own race, and picked the Chichester Half 2017. Since this point, they’ve never looked back and are both signed up this year, not just to run, but to run for refugees.

“It gives me something to race for”, says Michele. “I don’t mind running but this just gives me something extra to keeping me going. It’s helping children and if we don’t support children then what are we even doing?”
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Proceeds from the Chichester Half Marathon go to Chichester based charity, Children on the Edge, whose work includes projects for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh. They are encouraging 100 people to sign up for their ‘Run for Refugees’ team to raise £100 each thorough this year’s event.

Michele says “I have eight grandchildren, they’re all different and they all have different needs. If they got in a situation where they had no family or home, I’d want someone to be there to look after them. I see situations like Syria and the other places Children on the Edge work and know the children there need help”.

Tiki and Michele have already met their fundraising target by doing a raffle and a coffee morning. Tiki says “It’s actually really good having an easy £100 target. It’s just simple, especially when you fundraise a lot for different causes”.
 
The mum and daughter team are a huge inspiration to each other, giving continual encouragement to keep training and signing up for challenges. Michele says “As I got older I started to find that even walking was leaving me puffed out. I thought ‘this is silly’ and started training with Tiki. I was put off as my knees are bad, but so long as your careful it’s fine, and mine have actually improved. I notice they are worse when I don’t run now”.

The pair also love to go along to Bognor Park Run, as Michele is from Felpham and are regular members of Arunners. “We have a giggle there” says Tiki, “It also means I can run on ahead and not worry about Mum being left to run on her own! They arrange lots of different routes so it keeps it all more interesting”.
 
Asked about why they chose Chichester Half for a second time, Tiki said “When Mum finished last year she said ‘never again!’, I had been marshalling instead to save my energy for San Francisco so didn’t get to enter.  A few weeks later though, she decided that if she’d conquered the Trundle then I had to as well, so here we are!”.
 
Michele says “It’s such a friendly race and there’s lots of diversity in the running. You go through town, park countryside, and then get the glorious view if you choose to look at it at the top. I see some runners not even taking it in, concentrating on their time, but I’m there to enjoy it. If I can, I stop at the top to take a photo! When you finish it’s such an amazing feeling to say ‘I’ve done it’. The welcome at the finish line is wonderful”.
 
The Chichester event, now in its seventh year is set to be a great success in 2018, with different races to suit all types of runner.  Anyone who signs up for fundraising and aims to raise £100 will get a free ‘Run for Refugees’ t-shirt, one-to-one support in their fundraising, a cram-packed goodie bag full of treats and access to a VIP tent after the race.

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£100 can help provide a month of education, fun and support for 30 Rohingya refugee children in the Kutupalong camp, Bangladesh. If you want to join the team, just email 
chihalf@childrenontheedge.org to let them know you’re interested, or call the office on 01243 538530. ​