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8 Tuesday 28 March 2006 HOME LOCAL WORLD BUSINESS SPORT WHAT'S ON COMMENT LETTERS CARTOONS HOROSCOPE CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISE ARCHIVES Marathon effort for charity By REBECCA TORR A BAHRAIN runner will attempt the gruelling Paris Marathon next month to raise money for cancer research.

St Christopher's Junior School French teacher Olga Garland will be one of 35,000 runners when she takes part in the 42.195km Paris Marathon on April 9.

This is Ms Garland's second marathon; her debut was at the Bahrain Road Runners 27th Bahrain Full Marathon held last year.

"I have been preparing for the marathon since October, but I only got accepted at the beginning of this month," said the 32-year-old Fenchwoman, who has been in Bahrain since March 2000.

"I had to go through an agency in England to enter the race, because the normal entry route was full, so it's quite popular.

"The Paris Marathon is also celebrating its 30th anniversary, so it's a big event." Ms Garland decided to raise the money for Cancer Research UK in honour of her close friend Pilar Barahona, who died last June after a four-year battle against the disease.

"I was with Pilar the last year she had the disease.

She was really keen on a new treatment that was coming and that's why I want to raise money for research," explained Mrs Garland.

"Personally it helps me grieve, that's the selfish part, but it also raises awareness about t...

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