Some people join a gym to lose weight, or take an exercise class, executive assistant Julie Gratton decided to train for the New York marathon.

?I came to Bermuda in September and since then my weight has been creeping and creeping a bit because of the lifestyle,? she said. ?Also, before I left I had to go out and eat with all my friends to say goodbye, so in the last 18 months I have put on more than 30 pounds.?

Miss Gratton is originally from Bradford, Yorkshire, and now works at Mello, Hollis, Jones and Martin.

It was one day while she lay on the bed wrestling to get her jeans zipped that she decided that some kind of fitness programme was necessary.

?After Christmas I decided I was going to lose weight, because it was still going up and down, up and down,? she said. ?I trained for the End to End Walk, but I hurt my leg. So I had to help with water stops. I said ?Right, I?ve got to do something, I?ve just got to?.?

She decided to train for the New York marathon, essentially because she had missed the deadline to enter the London Marathon. The New York Marathon is scheduled for the beginning of November.

?I know it is a huge commitment,? she said. ?I am doing it for me because I need to lose the weight, but I am also doing it for charity. I am raising money for the Red Cross, which is an amazing charity.?

Ms Gratton first came into contact with the Red Cross while working in mobility deployment in the Royal Airforce.

?When I was in the Airforce I noticed that the Red Cross does a lot of really good work,? she said. ?I volunteered a lot with them in the United Kingdom. I would help with tracing and reuniting families lost in battles or refugee camps. I am also trained in first aid. The Red Cross do so much for people around the world.?

Ms Gratton was 18 years old when she joined the airforce and she stayed with them for 10 years.

?I wanted to travel and see something more of the world than Bradford,? she said. ?It was a good lifestyle. I was always based in a safe zone.?

She said that Bermuda did seem a bit slow after working with the military.

?People walk so slow here,? she said. ?I found it hard to deal with that at first. I have adjusted, though. I like it here because the people are really friendly. The military was very family oriented. It is a very similar attitude here. When I was in the military, wherever I was sent, there was always someone waiting on the other side to welcome us, and say, ?oh hi?. They welcomed strays. There was an immediate sense of family, and you get that in Bermuda also.?

In the airforce she ran to keep fit, but when she left and went to university it fell by the wayside. Since taking up this new resolution though, she has been training vigorously.

?The training schedule for the marathon started on July 3, but I was doing exercises and toning since the end of June. I have also been doing Pilates exercises and running. I go to Contours Gym. They have been really really good to me. They got me sponsor forms and got me signed up with the Red Cross.

To raise money to go to New York, Ms Gratton is holding two fundraising cruises with Winedown Cruises. The first one is on July 28 and leaves from Albouys Point. Tickets are $75 and guests get a free rum swizzle. There?s a cash bar and all drinks will be $5.

?It is tailored to the executive,? she said. ?I wanted to keep away from the big boozy type cruise.?

Her new training schedule started to pay off pretty quickly. At first she started losing inches rather than weight, and didn?t have to lay down to get her jeans on anymore.

?My trousers started falling off me,? she said. ?That is a really good feeling when that happens.?

At first she didn?t tell people that she was training for the New York marathon.

?I started running to work and I live in Shelly Bay. People started saying, ?didn?t I see you running along the road?? Then I decided that if I really wanted to raise money for the Red Cross I needed to tell people.?

She got more encouragement at the gym. After running on the treadmill for an hour, people would come up and touch her shoulder.

?They?d say things like, ?I can?t believe you just ran for an hour. I wish I could do that?. Then I started thinking, ?yeah, maybe I can do this?,? said Ms Gratton. ?The Red Cross are an extremely worthy organisation. Just looking at the news headlines all over the world and you will see war, famine, genocide and refugees. The Red Cross have always been a mainstay in providing assistance and getting political awareness to troubled areas. Even at your own local level, the Red Cross provide respite and care services for those in need within your own community. It is essential that we do not forget those in the world and in our community who are less fortunate than ourselves and do not have the opportunities that we do.?

To sponsor Ms Gratton telephone 292-1345 ext. 315 or email jgrattonmjm.bm or check out her webpage at www.justgiving.com/jgratton.