When Tony Green, Bedfordshire's Provincial Grand Secretary, was given some honest, professional health advice back in the summer of 2023, rather than make a few lifestyle tweaks and carry on regardless, as many of us do, he recognised the opportunity presented and used it as a catalyst to find his old self while making a difference for the charity closest to his heart.
Having previously held the office of Provincial Grand Almoner and the Bedfordshire 2026 MCF Festival being in full swing, Tony saw an opportunity to do the right thing for himself while raising funds for the MCF. This cause is always at the forefront of his thinking. Tony used to be a regular runner, is still Vice President and a coach of his local running club, and had just restarted running the occasional 5Km Park Run, so it seemed obvious that he should set himself a challenge that made him up his game, whilst capturing the attention and support the Bedfordshire Brethren.
On Friday, 17th August 2023, Tony embarked on his challenge and announced that he was starting a one-year challenge to run at least 5 km daily. It would be an understatement to say that some of his brothers were sceptical that Tony would complete the challenge, and in those early days, it did run through his mind that he might have aimed a bit too high!
The first few weeks were tough, with many aches and soreness, but as he got into the routine, this soon disappeared. The main challenge was scheduling the daily run. Having to look ahead and find a window wasn't always easy, meaning there were some incredibly early mornings and very late nights. The most extreme was the morning of the Installation of Bedfordshire's new Provincial Grand Master and Grand Superintendant, held at Great Queen Street. With the Grand Director of Ceremonies wanting a 07.45 rehearsal, it meant that Tony was running around the streets of Covent Garden at 4.30 am.
Another challenge was the weather. The main runs were conducted outdoors, but there were quite a few days when it was necessary to resort to a treadmill at the local sports centre. When Tony was away from home without the safety net of a treadmill, he had to run through the cold, the wind and, on occasion, some biblical rain.
During the challenge, Tony remained remarkably injury-free. Pressing on through COVID, two colds, a few bruises, and grazes from running trips and falls.
The challenge was completed on Saturday, 17th August this year, at ToTony'some course, The Luton Park Run, where he was applauded over the line by Nick Edwards, the Provincial Grand Master, accompanied by a large contingent of reformed Bedfordshire sceptics.
The year has been an extraordinary success, producing some rather impressive statistics. 1891 Km run and in excess of £8,400 raised for the MCF, 5Km run time improved from 49 minutes down to 35.
