View Full Version : 5 Marathons In 5 Days - In Memory Of The Late AVM Mike Heath
foldingwings
21st Mar 2009, 10:29
STICKY PLEASE
Mike’s son, Chris Heath, will be starting his “5 Marathons in 5 Days” (130 miles) run across Florida on 11th April 2009, in memory of his father who died on 17 November 2007.
Chris will be accompanied on the run by two fellow RAF officers, Ben Whittaker and Brad Goggin and the support crew, Margaret (Mum) and Pippa (Sister), will be there to cheer them on.
All money raised in the UK through Justgiving - Chris Heath's Fundraising Page (http://www.justgiving.com/heathy) will go to Macmillan Cancer Support and all the money raised in the USA will go to the two hospitals in Tampa where Mike received excellent treatment and care during the four years he was based there with Centcom.
Please visit the website: http://www.coast2coastfloridarun.com for updates on progress and to sponsor this worthy cause.
To all those people who have already sponsored Chris, many thanks. The website will be updated during the course of the run by Pippa and daily bulletins will be posted.
Wish them luck - 130 miles is a long way!
Many PPRuNers will be aware of the long and distinguished career of Mike Heath who grew up as a navigator on the Buccaneer, took his Tornado squadron to Tallil in 1991 (where an unfortunate and early crash landing ended his war) and developed into one of the RAF's best warfighters throughout the subsequent almost 20 years.
Mike had suffered for many years with cancer which the medics seemed able to treat and remove as each occurrence threatened his life. It was ironic, therefore, that he died of a massive heart attack at the age of 57 just as he was packing the final boxes to retire from the RAF from his last post in Tampa.
His son, a serving pilot, has taken up this immense challenge to run 5 marathons in 5 days across Florida in April. Please, if you are able, give Chris and his team all the encouragement that you can muster and, if you can spare it, the odd bob or two to help them support these great charities.
Foldie
Amended website address 24 March 2009
devonianflyer
22nd Mar 2009, 10:00
Bump back to the top!
A very worthy cause, good luck Chris and Ben!
I knew Chris from IOT, and a nicer guy you couldn't meet.
Sponsorship on the way!
DF
Is this the same Mike Heath who was later involved (as Group Captain) with the SH Force?
The Equivocator
22nd Mar 2009, 10:31
Yes
And back to the top!
I'm wary of eulogising and as a bit of a fraud here, I didn't know him too well. But whether competing against his Trivial Pursuits team ("Groupie's Groupies") in the Kurdish mountains or having a good night out in Norway (its lucky Stevie Mullen was a big lad - booze/bog cubicle/sleep.. go!), he was always switched on, insightful, genial and decent. We chatted frequently about Op Pulsator and I could be wrong, but didn't he have a Bucc share too?
He is the Station Commander that I remember with affection and respect.
Good luck Chris.
foldingwings
22nd Mar 2009, 11:25
Al R,
That's the boy! A life member of the Buccaneer Aircrew Association and therefore an owner of one share of Bucc XX901 and its associated weapons display lodged at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington.
A great loss - as a young navigator on the Bucc, he was one of the best social animals (and I should know) that I ever had the good fortune to bump into! It was Heath senior who introduced himself to the Mess at Laarbruch with his exploding cabbage trick at a Dining In night - the cost to his pocket for refurbishment was something in the order of £350 and that was a lot of money in the early 70s!
Foldie
Occasional Aviator
22nd Mar 2009, 21:31
Remember him as a really nice chap and good stn cdr. Back to the top.
45-25-25
23rd Mar 2009, 06:58
A great guy and a good cause. Good luck Chris.
Bladdered
23rd Mar 2009, 12:15
Mikes party piece at Laarbruch was to remove the door to your room in the Mess if invited back for a grollie or 5 after maxeval, taceval, opeval, flying or any other excuse. gave up looking for the bloomin thing on one occasion. Bump
wz662
23rd Mar 2009, 14:55
I took Chris on a famil trip in a Vigilant when he was a cadet and we 'intercepted' Mike who was flying with another cadet. I must say that for a nav he was no mean pilot.
Mike's sorely missed by all the friends he made at 612VGS.
foldingwings
24th Mar 2009, 13:30
Unashamedly, back to the top.
Foldie
fl2006
24th Mar 2009, 13:42
Good luck Chris, undoubtly a very worthy cause.
foldingwings
25th Mar 2009, 08:12
Back up the list!
foldingwings
25th Mar 2009, 17:35
Up she goes!
foldingwings
26th Mar 2009, 18:13
Sorry about this but until it's a sticky!
The team have now raised over £5000 and your donation could take it further.
Foldie
John Nichol
27th Mar 2009, 16:16
Mike was OC XX at Laarbruch during my time there as a junior shag on XV - he was very highly regarded, and one of the most friendly and approachable Senior Officers I have ever been privileged to meet. Always keen to chat in the bar - and liberal with the use of his bar book!
Good luck Chris, Brad & Ben - an astonishing challenge - donation follows if I can work out what to do.
foldingwings
28th Mar 2009, 08:51
Rolling back to the top for a few more weeks, I'm afraid!
3winged
28th Mar 2009, 09:33
Many years ago our course 'adopted' Mike as our tame senior officer mascot when at Shawbs. We had a great incident one night when abseiling out of OC Ops top floor room in the mess (as you do) after a few beers. Mike hadn't quite grasped the technique required to abseil out of a mess window and folded back, upside down against the wall. After several minutes faffing and him almost passing out due to the pain of a now exacerbated former squash hamstring injury, we managed to get him inside and called for an ambulance. As the doors of the ambulance closed, the last thing we heard was 'keep the bar open lads, I will be back in 10 minutes'.
Sure enough he was. That was a measure of the man. :D
You are sorely missed Mike you were an absolute star, and good luck lads with the epic marathon!
Brad - watch that hip! :ok:
foldingwings
29th Mar 2009, 11:59
Now less than a fortnight until the start and donations in UK have almost reached £5.5K.
Can we PPRuNers help it go higher!
Cancer is a terrible disease that affects one in three people. Please help these guys raise the roof for McMillan Cancer.
Thanks
Foldie
Grabbers
29th Mar 2009, 12:15
Done. Back to the top.
Winch-control
29th Mar 2009, 16:41
Def support this one back to the top...
jindabyne
30th Mar 2009, 08:42
Top man, top cause - back to the top
threeputt
30th Mar 2009, 09:59
Sur Le top.
3P:ok:
RoyalFlier
30th Mar 2009, 19:54
And back to the top again - well done the boys for offering to do something most of will never do once let alone 5 times in 5 days - my money's in - where's yours??!
foldingwings
31st Mar 2009, 13:01
The UK Kitty's just about to crash £6K - keep it coming!
Foldie
Winch-control
31st Mar 2009, 14:52
Back to the top...
foldingwings
1st Apr 2009, 10:50
Up top again
funflier44
1st Apr 2009, 19:33
To the top again.
devonianflyer
2nd Apr 2009, 17:10
Bump! :ok:
foldingwings
3rd Apr 2009, 20:37
Raised back up!
foldingwings
5th Apr 2009, 11:13
The team sets off one week today and have already raised over £6000 for McMillan Cancer Support. Please keep supporting them during this build up week and, of course, once they start out next Sunday.
Foldie
foldingwings
6th Apr 2009, 13:40
Forgive me; they wouldn't make it a sticky so I have no alternative but to bump it up for another week. Fund now reaching £6.5K, so many thanks to all those who have (or are about to) supported this sterling effort by Chris and his team.
Foldie
threeputt
6th Apr 2009, 20:38
This is an excellent initiative and is well worthy of our support.
3P:ok:
foldingwings
8th Apr 2009, 13:46
The 5 marathons start this weekend - back to the top.
Foldie
3turnspin
12th Apr 2009, 10:48
Today's the day! Good luck boys, we'll have the beers ready when you get back! :ok:
Jackonicko
12th Apr 2009, 19:05
I'll bet Mike's as pleased as punch at all this. I met him and interviewed him post Gulf War and found him to be a charming and helpful bloke, though he needed a great deal of prodding and poking to overcome his natural modesty.
Though he must have met and spoken to dozens of journos, he remembered me when I met him again as Benson Staish, and was again charm personified.
And clearly as effective and efficient a station commander as he was popular.
An absolutely top bloke, and an RAF officer who proved that journos and servicemen can get on like a house on fire.
In other words,
BUMP!
foldingwings
14th Apr 2009, 15:59
It's Day 4 of 5 on the Coast to Coast Run across Florida for McMillan Cancer Support.
So whilst the guys are digging deep on their 4th Marathon in 4 Days it's time for one last effort by all their supporters to give them one last cheer here:
http://www.coast2coastfloridarun.com
And financial support to the McMillan Charity here:
Justgiving - Chris Heath's Fundraising Page (http://www.justgiving.com/heathy)
Foldie
Jumping_Jack
15th Apr 2009, 18:05
I've just had the privilage of cheering the guys across the line in Tampa....awesome effort (5 X sub 4 hr marathons!). They had to battle some horrendous weather here yesterday but crossed the line in glorious sunshine to a great welcome.
Fantastic :D
45-25-25
16th Apr 2009, 13:57
A Brilliant Effort! Well done! Back to the top.
foldingwings
16th Apr 2009, 15:03
Well done guys, been following your progress on the coast-to-coast website and I have to tell you that you have earned every penny of the money pledged. Some very difficult conditions to contend with.
Well done to everybody, the runners, the biker and the support staff!
Great job.:D
Foldie
Good effort. :D
There are some posters on the wall of my local civvie gym about this by the way. Word gets around.