Canine Partners

Alex Leete, a 55-year-old who lives on the Costa del Sol with two rescue dogs, a retired horse and eight tortoises, will take part in the Marabana Havana half marathon in Cuba to raise vital funds for Canine Partners.

Alex decided to fundraise for Canine Partners as she used to live in Graffham, just down the road from our Southern Training Centre in Midhurst, West Sussex. Alex said:

“I often used to see the handlers out and about with the puppies being trained. Having spoken to a few of them, we realised what a wonderful charity it is and how these dogs can change the lives of those people fortunate enough to have one join their family.”

It was Alex’s 86-year-old Dad who initially set down the challenge of running the Marabana Havana half marathon, to take Alex’s mind off of not being able to ride horses anymore. Having ridden horses since she was a child, Alex was in a serious accident earlier this year and has decided to give up riding and retire her horse. This is the challenge Alex needed to take her mind off of the lack of riding.

The Marabana Havana half marathon is due to take place on Sunday 18 November with a nice early start of 7am. Alex has no specific run time in mind after spraining her ankle during training and being out of action for over eight weeks, but she is determined to take part in the race. Alex said:

“It’s a case of my challenge now being to cross that finish line somehow! I’m fairly determined, some may say stubborn, so I don’t care how I do it. It doesn’t have to be fast and it doesn’t have to be pretty, but I’m going to puff and wheeze my way round and if it takes all day I’ll get there eventually!”

Alex chose the half marathon in Cuba as she used to work in the Latin American department of a large company and fell in love with the culture. Alex said:

“Cuba was part of our domain and having visited for the first time a couple of years ago, it kind of seems appropriate that my first running challenge should be in an area of the world I’m passionate about.”

When it comes to training, Alex’s plan went out the window when she sprained her ankle but she is now back to it and tries to do something each day to regain some fitness. From dog walks to long runs, Alex lives in a mountainous area of Spain and thinks this will be good for her stamina.

Sponsor Alex

You can sponsor Alex for the Marabana Havana Half Marathon on her JustGiving page by clicking here.

Challenge yourself

Are you up for a challenge? Whether it’s a marathon, an abseil, a skydive or another amazing idea, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/challenges/ for more information.