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Run For All has been mad dash says Mike
"IT'S frantic," says Mike Tomlinson when asked how he's coping just 24-hours before the race set up by his late wife Jane begins.
"Having said that, I'm as confident as I can be that it will all go well on the day and everyone will enjoy themselves."
For the last few months, Mike and his team have been working around the clock to make sure tomorrow's Leeds 10k Run For All goes as smoothly as possible.
For a chap who still works full-time as an IT consultant, it's a mind-boggling responsibility helping to oversee Leeds's biggest mass sports event.
At 9am, 11,000 people will gather on the Headrow. Tens of thousands more are expected to cheer them around the city centre and along Meanwood Road. There'll also be 600 volunteers to organise - and thousands of kit bags.
"Things are changing by the minute," said Mike, whose son Steven, 10, will sound the starter.
"I've only found out this minute that Tanni Grey-Thompson (Disabled Olympic champion) is coming down. She wanted to help on a drinks station, although I'm not sure that's what a Dame should be doing.
"Overall, I'm very excited. I've got an eye on the weather and I'm hoping it's going to be fine. We have done as much as we can to make this a great event. Now we just need God to smile on us a little bit."
Besides planning the run, Mike is busy campaigning for equal access to cancer drugs as well as a charity cycle.
The hardest part, he said, had been coping without Jane, who died last September after a long battle with cancer. She had remained the rock of the family.
"I do feel very much on my own, especially because the pressure has been so intense over the last two months.
"It will be a very emotional day for me, but it's not just about Jane. A lot of people taking part in the run have lost loved ones. Some of the stories you read about the effort people are making just warms your heart.
"A lot of people will be walking. The message from us is it doesn't matter, you are all welcome." Visit www.runforall.com for more details.
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Weather for Leeds
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
