The Moonwalk!

Pictured above is me just about to go into the event- I was quite excited!!

We had to arrive by 9:15pm to check in and to also get organized. I was a bit concerned that all the waiting around would be annoying but quite to the contrary! The Big Pink tent was fantastic and they had organized the event so well- there was loads to do!

The best part of being in the Moonwalk arena was looking at every one's costumes- people had gone to so much effort. Emma and I both commented on how tame we had been! Next year we will definitely be going all out! Check out the ladies on the left who were decked out from head to toe.

You could get temporary Moonwalk tattoos to show some more support. I went for a little lady and Emma and Hills had pink feet on their chests!

Inside the pink tent was massive! They had a swing band on for the first part of the evening, which was great fun then Nina Barough the founder of the Moonwalk got on stage and showed us videos of where our money goes. All the money raised in Scotland stays in Scotland- it was good to watch the videos and a great reminder of why we were doing it.

They also had a stand in the tent which demonstrated new machines which Moonwalk money has bought. These are scalp cooling machines which help to prevent hair loss when woman are going through chemo therapy. There was one bride to be who was on her hen party (Bachelorette party) and she was fully decked out as a bride and the presenter asked why she choose to do the Moonwalk for her hen night and she explained that her friend is going through chemo at the moment and the scalp cooling machine is helping her keep her hair. Amazing!

There was also a pasta party and we all got some food to keep us going. Hillary was walking with her friends from work- from left to right: Jen, Mel, Karen, Hillary and Emma.

Myself and Emma take a seat before we head out on our 26.2 mile walk!

We all got space blankets which amazingly keep you so warm- Hillary was trying to tie Emma up to keep her toasty!

Our group before we headed off. I made my space blanket into a turkey fan as I tucked it into my bum bag. You can't see our faces very well as our caps had reflective material on the front so we were easy to spot by cars etc. Emma, Me and Hillary

The final event of the evening before we all headed off was a mass aerobic class. It was brilliant fun and although there was not much room it got you totally hyped up! I loved it!

Emma and her crazy moves!

Hillary and Emma doing the Grapevine in my direction!

The girlies taking part in the aerobics class... so much fun!

Each group got called out to the start line and our group was the last to go. Looking back at the pink tent it looked amazing!

They had a giant inflatable balloon which looked exactly like the moon.

The start line. We were running a little late so didn't set off until about 12:11am. To the left of the start line were the presenters and also the founder of the Moonwalk who cheered us as we set off.

Looking up the first hill- which was one of the biggest! All you could see was a sea of reflective hats and pink! Unfortunately the camera wasn't able to capture it too well.

Just before the 2 mile marker Becky and Dougie were sat on the wall near Morrison street cheering us on! Then when we crossed Lothian Road Nathan was there leaning against a lamp post- no doubt taking in the sights! It was so lovely to have such great support!

I didn't take any more photos until we were more than half way as I was trying the keep up with the pace. Just after mile 13 I took a wee funny turn and felt so sick. Emma and I stopped and I had some nibbles and a lovely volunteer that was helping out gave me a cereal bar and I felt 100% better after that.
They had portable toilets along the route but the queues were so long! This picture was taken of Emma at about 5.30am in Newhaven. This was the point that all the laughter had gone and it was more of a slow plod!

The morning was beautiful though and once we reached Portobello beach we got our stride back. It might have been more of a delusional sleep deprived craziness though!! We sat on the wall and I called Nathan back (he had phoned whilst we were walking) There were still lots of Moonwalkers walking with us.

By the time we reached Holyrood we were singing songs and were having a great laugh- it was either that or crying!! So we pushed through the pain barrier and kept going!!

At mile 26 with only 0.2 miles to go I couldn't have been happier. I then turned this corner and saw Becky and Nathan waiting for us to cheer us the last few yards- I felt a wee bit emotional and so we powered on to the last few feet.

Crossing the finish line! We didn't do an amazing time but we completed it! Not only that but the second half of the walk I really enjoyed laughing and singing songs! I am really glad Emma was by my side and we got each other through! (Plus I'm sure if we subtracted the many toilet stop times we would have been closer to 8 1/2 hours!)

With our medals on having just crossed the finish line!

The pink tent looked a little different than it did when we left!

We came back out of the arena and met Becky and Nathan. Becky had brought me beautiful Lillies and Nathan brought us Prosecco and Strawberries! They were such a great support! Nathan text me with an hour and a half to go to tell me of his incentive for us and it definitely helped us get closer to the finish line!
Emma and I collapsed on the grass after we finished! I had been wanting to do this for about the last hour!

Myself and Emma congratulate ourselves! Cheers to us and to our supporters!

Emma and her husband Sean who met us at the finish line.

Nathan, Me and Becky at the finish in Inverleith Park. We sat for an hour and enjoyed our strawberries and the sunshine.

For more official photos including the Edinburgh castle that was light up in pink for the night click here.

Thank you too to everyone who has sponsored me! It is so appreciated! If you still haven't done so and want to please go to: www.justgiving.com/jennielandels