Dear London, Please may we do the Marathon all over again? Kind Regards, Team Mintridge
Dear London, Please may we do the Marathon all over again? Kind Regards, Team Mintridge
Oh London, you are magnificent. We might be biased as our two runners raised £4,000 and rising for the Mintridge Foundation, but the London community really did make Sunday a truly special day as the Virgin London Marathon returned. After 889 days since the previous London Marathon in April 2019, it was certainly back with a bang!
We have written many blogs since March 2020 about the uneven and unpredictable impact of the postponement of mass participation events on the charity sector. We therefore don’t need to tell you just how important the pinnacle of the events calendar, the London Marathon, is in helping us raise valuable funds to reach more young people with our sporting role models. Helping support young people with their physical and mental wellbeing is arguably more important than ever as a parent of a Mintridge mentee has recently shared.
“Netball is what has got her through this horrid time, and we will always be so grateful to Pamela Cookey for her encouragement and support. ”
First to buzz our app as they crossed the start line was one of our truly remarkable Mintridge Foundation Ambassadors, Patrick Foster. Patrick has talked openly about the power of running and what it has done for his mental health and now he wanted to take it one step further.
“It was the only charity that I really wanted to run for because I want to do it for something that I am part of and obviously something that I am really passionate about. Mintridge does amazing things and it is at a time when our support is needed more than ever after what we have been through over the last 18 months. ”
It is safe to say that Patrick loved the marathon, and it was an experience of a lifetime (maybe avoiding mile 24…), which his beaming smile suggested at every cheer point and afterwards at the Greenwood Sports Kitchen with a well-deserved shandy in hand following his 3 hours 20 minute marathon…
Patrick, thank you. What’s next on your challenge list? Wink wink…
There’s still time to donate to Patrick’s page below!
Next to be passing through the start line and alerting our app was Tom Pursglove, a supporter of Mintridge from its inception and MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire.
“Well last time I ran it, I said never again but I have been persuaded to run the London Marathon which I am really excited about. There’s a lot of training going into it and one of the big upsides of that is that it has given me time while I am out there to really think about the issues and challenges that we face as we emerge from Covid. Linking into the marathon experience is the issue of health and wellbeing and how we can try and utilise sport to get our country back on track. ”
It’s at this point that Alex Wallace would like to apologise for refreshing her London Marathon tracker at the wrong point and missing Tom whizz past her. We hope that you saw our flags and heard our cheers as you headed towards your fantastic time of 4 hours and 5 minutes! Wow!
We were delighted to be one of two special charities chosen by Tom in his mammoth fundraising efforts alongside Justice and Care, a fantastic charity fighting slavery.
There’s still time to donate to Tom’s page below!
Where do we even begin in thanking our runners’ supporters? To each and every person, whether through a donation, a social media share, tracking the app or screaming loudly at mile 22 (fellow Mintridge Ambassador and Paralympic Champion, Laura Sugar, that’s you), your impact has been vital and helps us to continue to raise the awareness of our small but mighty charity with the biggest of ambitions. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We had a great cheering location in view of landmarks such as the Shard and the Tower of London steeped in rich history. This allowed us to see other friends of the charity when they needed a friendly face approaching the final 5km of the course. Josh Pewter sawed past in 2 hours and 34 minutes while Pretty Athletic’s Charlotte Purdue was the first British female home in 2 hours and 23 minutes! Wow – blink and we would have missed them!
Last but certainly by no means least, thank you to the London Marathon Events team, the marathon ran smoothly and you allowed our runners to feel safe in this Covid world. The celebrations across the capital are testament to the work that goes on behind the scenes and Team Mintridge alongside other charities will always be grateful for that.
PS…
For our female runners, with the earlier discussion of Pretty Athletic, if you would like some award winning skincare for your active lifestyle, head over to their website now. If you enter “MINTRIDGE” at Checkout, not only will you get a discount, but we will receive a donation too!
If you would like to understand more about our mentoring programmes with elite athletes and how they can support the young people at your school or club, please contact Katie Smith.
If you are considering supporting the Mintridge Foundation as a business, organisation or as an individual, head to our SUPPORT US page below.
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as Fitswarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
The Mintridge Foundation
Unit 4, Shieling Court
Northfolds Road
Corby
Northants
NN18 9QD
Tel: +44 (0) 1536 447106
www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk
