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ARNIE CLEARS A DATE FOR BLIND DAVE

20-12-2007

West Brom marathon runner Blind Dave Heeley could receive a special greeting when he attempts the Los Angeles leg of his 7/7/7 marathon attempt – California governor and Hollywood movie star Arnie Schwarzenegger is hoping to sound the starting gun.

Logistics co-ordinator David Carter who’s been checking out Blind Dave’s itinerary said yesterday that he was in touch with the governor’s office during a recent recce in L.A. and got the message that Arnie was keen to find a space in his diary on the date in question.

(Let’s just hope that he uses an ordinary starting pistol, and doesn’t suddenly flip back to Terminator mode.)

Carter said that the reception he’d received elsewhere was also positive. In Santiago, where Dave and his running partner Malcolm “Mad Mac” Carr will acclimatise before heading for his first marathon in the Falklands, there’s already talk of an appearance on the local equivalent of GMTV.

Unfortunately, a local telly appearance on Central News last night was postponed, but only until January 2.

Intrepid ITV reporter Eric MacInnes followed Dave to Ireland this week, where he and Mac were being put through their paces at the Northern Ireland Institute of Sport in Belfast.

Here’s the full revised itinerary of the Seven Marathons in Seven Days on Seven Continents challenge.

April 7, 2008 – The Falklands (Antarctica); April 8 – Santiago, Chile (South America); April 9 – The Rose Bowl, Los Angeles (North America); April 10 – Sydney (Australia); April 11 – Dubai (Asia); April 12 – Nairobi (Africa); April 13 – London (Europe).

To watch a short film about Dave’s challenge, click here

To help him raise £1 million for Guide Dogs for the Blind go to www.justgiving.com/777