Marathon effort to help hospice
Marathon runner Mark Dabbs has penned a booklet about his time in North Korea and is hoping people will want to follow his footsteps to raise vital funds for St Giles Hospice.
Mark, aged 48, from Walsall, has produced his booklet, entitled Running the Mangyandae Marathon, during lockdown.
People buying the booklet could also benefit from a souvenir of his trip while stocks last.
Mark, a staff nurse at The Lakes at Great Wyrley, said: “It is an enigmatic country and I ran the marathon two years ago.
“This has added poignancy now with all the isolation that we are experiencing in everyday life here and what life was like during that week or so when I was touring that most secretive country.”
Mark’s booklet contains a number of rare and colour photographs from the interior of the country, as well as lavish postcards showing the art and beauty of the area.
He has taken part in more than 79 different marathon races on six continents including Cape Town, Alexandria, Auckland, Melbourne, Bangkok, Beijing and 22 states in America as well as most of Europe.
He said: “It was a welcome change to be in that mysterious country and to take in the sights of a land unknown to many.”
Mark paints a picture of a society keen to learn from the West with people as curious about foreigners as we are about them.
He has previously produced booklets on War Memorials in the West Midlands, Victoria Cross Winners from the Midlands, a Guide Book to Walsall Council House and an anthology of jokes.
Copies of his latest booklet can be ordered for £5 plus postage and package by sending details to the signalpublishing@outlook.com website.
He said: “I hope to raise up to £300 for the hospice but if the demand is there I am prepared to print a second run of the booklet.”
