On 15 Oct, 18 amazing Chickenshed supporters took on the Royal Parks Half Marathon, and to date have raised an incredible £10,019!
Interested in running for Chickenshed?
Sun 7 Apr 2024 | Registration fee: £35 | Minimum Fundraising Target: £350
The London Landmarks Half Marathon route showcases ‘The Grand. The Quirky. The Hidden.’ of central London.
It is the only half marathon to go through both the City of London and Westminster and aims to raise £6.5 million for charity each year. It highlights the iconic landmarks of the capital such as Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Nelson’s Column, the Gherkin, the Shard, the Tower of London and the London Eye and it also unearths and promotes the hidden highlights of the city, with an emphasis on historical and cultural gems.
Start of the Race
Matthew Lyons ran 5k for Chickenshed, here's what he had to say about the race:
Nerves were palpable as we heard our running waves called out. Robin had decided to go with his early wave and that was the last we saw of him other than a glimpse somewhere an hour or so later around Buckingham Palace. But for me and our four students, three of whom had been in multiple Rise Festival performances in the preceding 48 hours and all of whom were suddenly realizing they were going to be running for a very long time, it was time for a last pep talk, a few selfies and then we were off.
Running Together
Although we didn’t run the course together we felt like we did. Due to the looping nature of the course, we kept getting glimpses of each other and could wave, shout encouragement and offer each other Haribo’s. It was hard though. The weather was warm but so was the crowd, and familiar cheering faces kept appearing along the course, and that definitely helped us on our way.
Finishing the Race
As the day really began to heat up the end eventually began to feel closer and as 10 miles passed and then 11 we all knew we had it. 800 meters to go felt really hard though. Isn’t the 800 meters the race that all the really good runners at school did and yet here it was beckoning us to the finish line. We had made it! Robin had come through first (due to his earlier start time of course!) followed by me, then Hector and then Vittorio and finally in a blaze of glory Millie and Eleanor finished together just as they had approached the whole run, and we all celebrated in a worn-out, slightly overheated way before catching the tube together and going off into our respective afternoons of recovery.
Final Thoughts
16,000 runners did this event. All knowing who or what they were doing for. You could sense that with every message on the back of a running vest or supporters sign being waved as you went around. We all knew what we were doing too. Different perspectives for all of us but all for the same Chickenshed that feeds us and grows us each day with every workshop, project, and performance. To be able to do it with four of the amazing young people I do it for was a privilege, and I’m so glad they said yes – it’s what got me around for sure! That and your amazing support!
