Having agreed to suffer inside Humphrey on stage – Paul immediately got his revenge – by entering Humphrey into the 1996 London Marathon. The now famous camel made the switch from acting to athletics and his ‘Running-for-WaterAid’ career began.
Paul and Jeff
Humphrey in Aladdin
Of course, the marathon is never just about the day itself. Humphrey’s true talents lie in fund-raising rather than his athletic skills. All through his career Humphrey has been wonderfully supported by hundreds of people in Thames Water, its Contractors and Suppliers and the public – who he surprises at events from time to time.
Coming down the escalators at Reading Station (look at my shiny fur)
And some brief reminiscences – such as the time that Paul was clipped by a car on Jamaica Road (how can a driver not see a big bright-orange camel?) – Jeff learning a whole new ‘motivational’ vocabulary (in a Derbyshire accent) from Paul over the course of completing their five consecutive marathons – (it has to be said that without Paul’s inspiration and determination Humphrey would probably never have completed even one marathon) – the year when Gerry Greene and Paul McMahon waited for Humphrey in a pub near the Tower – then couldn’t keep up with him and had to hail a taxi to get to the finish – Rose, as Humphrey’s belly dancer, running up and down the lines of spectators, covering several extra miles to collect and carry bucket-fulls of coins – of being among the late-finishers (he’s not built for speed) – behind the athletes and fun-runners seen on TV – among the people who are running for charity often despite age, injuries and difficulties – reaching each mile-station at the same time as the people who are dismantling them – with the main aim of getting to the finish while it’s still daylight!!!!
