3 weeks, 2 marathons, 1 cause. Here's my story.

I've always enjoyed running, but during the COVID-19 pandemic I really fell in love with the sport. Night running during the early months of 2021 would become a regular activity, as I needed an outlet after spending the entire day virtually attending university. COVID was a strange time - socially it was very isolating, so running became my answer to help manage these challenges. It was on one of these night runs where I thought to myself "I'm running anyway, why not train for something?".

And so it was over the summer of 2021 I trained and completed my first unofficial half marathon (in 02:19:46). It wasn't pretty by any means, but I got it done. I then went on to run my first official half marathon the following year in October 2022 (in a time of 01:57:31), and the running bug had truly set in.

Over 2023 I was studying abroad in my final year in Melbourne, Australia, where running played a key role. My year in Australia and subsequent travelling gave me the opportunity to complete the Melbourne Half Marathon (in a PB of 01:40:04), run 140km (1km for every $1 donated) during Movember, and also complete the Burj2Burj Half Marathon in Dubai. I enjoyed all these events (and many others) and was looking for my next challenge - going the full marathon distance. Now here I am, running the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 6th April 2025, and the London Marathon on Sunday 27th April 2025 - and for a good cause too.

I first came across The Running Charity (TRC) when Russ Cook (a.k.a. "The Hardest Geezer") mentioned it as he ran the entire length of Africa. I thought the cause and mission behind the organisation was great, and hence have decided to raise money for then. The Running Charity believe that running is as good for your mind as it is for your body, and use this to improve the lives of 16-25 year-olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They use running to improve fitness and instil a goal-setting mentality (much like how I've used running throughout my life) that are key tools in helping these vulnerable young people to build healthy, sustainable futures.

Any donation, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated. Thank you!