Ben Piggott –  Week 7: A MASSIVE week in many respects (1 – 7 August ’23)

With On My Feet (OMF) having Gold Charity status at the Sydney marathon, the organisers are really interested in the work we do. Having read some of my blogs, they were keen to interview me and pitch a story to the media. I wasn’t sure how I would feel talking about my past to the PR agency – but during the interview I realised just how far I’ve come in the last year. What has become apparent to me, is that I’m now comfortable with who I am and the journey I’ve taken to get here. Aside from the exposure via these blogs – the Cockburn ARC (Aquatic and Recreation Centre) where I train – also carried a story about me and how I am training for Sydney marathon on their social media channels. There were some incredibly motivating comments from people that I hardly know and this made me feel so supported and encouraged. 

My training has progressed well as we count down the weeks to the marathon. I am finding my form and continue to focus on strengthening my legs. The HIIT training is really helping my endurance. My bike from Dismantle is amazing and I can get around so much more easily. Cycling gives my legs the low impact workout they need. Another exciting development this week was getting a second pair of On Cloud running shoes – the Cloudswift. A huge shout out to this company who gave On My Feet dozens of pairs of nearly new shoes for people like me. I was able to thank them personally when I registered for my very first 21.1km – the Perth half-marathon where On Cloud were sponsors. What cool and genuine people; they clearly find our OMF stories inspiring. The only reason I got an entry for the Perth half is that Kaz, chairperson of the Perth Triathlon club, secured one from a member Ken, who kindly donated it to me.

My running training program required higher mileage this week – so this weekend I ran the parkrun on Saturday before taking on the half marathon on Sunday. Sunday morning was nerve wracking but I had faith in all the training I’ve done and in the coaching On My Feet has provided.

I felt comfortable throughout the 21.1km and enjoyed the views, the atmosphere and meeting like-minded people. What I think is so cool – is seeing the range of people running; with some older guys running hard and even out pacing me (lol). I ended up running negative splits (a faster second half) and was amazed that I still had more to give at the finish line. This was the best feeling and has given me confidence 😀.   I’m really excited for the coming weeks.

If you’d like to help On My Feet to uplift others like myself, please consider making a donation by clicking on this link to my fundraising page https://sm23.grassrootz.com/on-my-feet/benjamin-piggott
Another way you might want to help On My Feet, is by purchasing some of our really trendy socks online at https://www.onmyfeet.org.au/shop Every pair of socks helps transform lives like mine.